MAKING THE MOST OF A TEACHABLE MOMENT - A SMOKELESS-TOBACCO CESSATIONINTERVENTION IN THE DENTAL OFFICE

Objectives. Primary care medical clinics are good settings for smoking interventions. This study extends this strategy with a smokeless toba cco : intervention delivered by dentists and dental-hygienists in the course of routine dental care. Methods. Male users of moist snuff and chewing tobacco (n = 518) were identified by questionnaire in clinic w aiting rooms and then randomly assigned to either usual care or interv ention. The intervention included a routine oral examination with spec ial attention to the part of the mouth in which tobacco was kept and a n explanation of the health risks of using smokeless tobacco. After re ceiving unequivocal advice to stop using tobacco, each patient viewed a 9-minute videotape, received a self-help manual, and was briefly cou nseled by the dental hygienist. Results. Long-term success was defined as no smokeless tobacco use at both 3- and 12-month follow-ups, with those lost to follow-up counted as smokeless tobacco users. The interv ention increased the proportion of patients who quit by about one half (12.5% vs 18.4%, P < .05). Conclusions. These results demonstrate the efficacy of a brief dental office intervention for the general popula tion of smokeless tobacco users.