TOBACCO CONTROL ACTIVITIES IN US DENTAL PRACTICES

The authors surveyed general dentists, periodontists, pediatric dentis ts and dental hygienists in three U.S. geographical regions to estimat e the percentage who practiced tobacco use cessation activities in the ir dental offices. A total of 1,746 dentists and 723 dental hygienists completed either a long or short version of a mailed survey or teleph one interview. The authors found that tobacco cessation activities are not a routine part of dental practice and that tobacco control activi ties and training vary by dentist type and geographical region.