Development and evaluation of an interactive tobacco cessation CD-ROM educational program for dental students

Dentists and dental hygienists can be effective in providing advice and brief counseling to tobacco-using patients. However, lack of training in effective interventions is a barrier to incorporating tobacco cessation interventions into routine practice. After we developed and evaluated an interactive CD-ROM tobacco cessation training program, we evaluated the effect of using the program on the knowledge level and attitudes of forty-seven third-year dental students and thirty dental hygiene students and also obtained their opinions of program quality and utility. Significant change was observed from pre- to post-intervention (t (46) = -11.62, p <.001; Cohen's d = 1.36). Program use was strongly related to change in the measure of tobacco cessation knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (semi-partial r = .57, p <.001). In addition, participants rated the program highly on measures of satisfaction. The results of our evaluation provide strong support for the efficacy of the program with dental and dental hygiene students. An interactive educational program such as the one reported herein could be a useful tool for enabling dental professionals to obtain the skills necessary to help their patients quit using tobacco.