Tobacco Use and Cessation Counseling among Dental Professionals in Saudi Arabia

Hussain Aljubran, Mohammed Alkoudemi, Mustafa Althunayan, Abdulrahman Aljeraisy, Amal Asiri and Muhammad Nazir ()
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Hussain Aljubran: College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Alkoudemi: College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Mustafa Althunayan: College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman Aljeraisy: College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Amal Asiri: Department of Dental Education, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Nazir: Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among dental professionals and their attitudes and behaviors about tobacco cessation counseling in Saudi Arabia. A total of 359 male and female dental professionals participated in this cross-sectional study. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was administered among study participants by visiting dental hospitals and clinics in Saudi Arabia. In the study, 15.9% of the participants were current tobacco users and 50.4% had a tobacco user at home or the workplace. Most participants reported that tobacco use is associated with bad breath (88.9%), oral cancer (88.3%), dryness of the mouth (80.8%), and bad taste (79.9%). Most participants asked patients about their tobacco habits (86.6%), mentioned tobacco habits in patient records (71.3%), and explained the benefits of quitting tobacco (79.9%). Less than half the sample (47.1%) referred patients to tobacco quitting services/programs. Male gender (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.50, 95% CI 2.48–12.23, p < 0.001), having a tobacco user at home/the workplace (AOR 3.18, 95% CI 1.57–6.45, p 0.001), and believing that tobacco cessation counseling was a waste of time (AOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.13–4.76, p 0.021) were associated with significantly increased odds of tobacco use among dental professionals. The study concluded that tobacco use was common among dental professionals despite their awareness of the adverse effects of tobacco. Reduction in tobacco use and promotion of counseling skills among dental professionals should be achieved through public health measures.

Keywords: smoking; dentists; quitting; tobacco products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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