Effect of Intensive Smoking-Cessation Intervention in Dental Setting

Objectives: Smoking exerts detrimental effects on dental treatment and oral health. Effectiveness of smoking-cessation intervention in patients who were willing to quit smoking within one month was evaluated.

Methods: Dentists and dental hygienists were trained for the intervention. Patients were randomly assigned to either intervention (IG) or non-intervention group (NIG). In IG, intensive smoking-cessation intervention, consisting of 5 visits to counseling during a 3-month period including an additional nicotine replacement regimen was provided. In addition to the RCT design, control clinics where all patients were assigned to NIG were recruited for the quasi-RCT design. Reported abstinence and verification utilizing by measuring salivary cotinine level were recorded.

Results: Thirty-three patients in IG and 23 and 37 in NIG for the RCT and quasi-RCT models, respectively, started the trial. On intent-to-treat basis, 3- and 6-month and 1-year continuous abstinent rates in IG were 51.5%, 39.4% and 36.4%, respectively, while the rates in NIG were consistent, 13.0% and 10.8% in the RCT and quasi-RCT models, respectively. Odds ratios (95% confidence interval) adjusted for sex, age, daily consumption, and nicotine dependence were 10.3 (2.0, 50.6), 8.4 (1.5, 48.0) and 6.9 (1.3, 37.8), respectively, in the RCT model, and 12.9 (3.1, 53.1), 10.4 (2.2, 48.1) and 8.2 (1.9, 36.4), respectively, in the quasi-RCT model.

Conclusion: Intensive smoking-cessation intervention in the dental setting was therefore effective. This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research of Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.