The American Cancer Society estimates 40 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, while other forms of tobacco use are on the rise. Dental health practitioners are more likely to see the early signs of smoking than other medical professionals.
Prevention is stressed with younger patients, as well as education about the detrimental impact smoking can have on oral health. For current smokers, using a patient mirror to illustrate the effects of smoking can be a helpful tool.
Dr. Scott Tomar, professor and interim chair of the department of community dentistry and behavioral science at the University of Florida College of Dentistry, has some helpful advice.
“Dentists can ask their patients for permission to discuss their tobacco use and ask their patients how tobacco fits into their lives,” says Dr. Tomar. “Our goal is to have patients articulate why they want to quit, and then work with them to move them toward taking action. The beauty of motivational interviewing is that we are not creating an adversarial relationship with our patients by lecturing them and putting them on the defensive, but are working on the same side as our patients and the reasons for quitting are coming from the patients themselves.”
For more information and resources, see the article from the American Dental Association.
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