An innovative tobacco use cessation program for military dental clinics

Tobacco use is the chief avoidable cause of death and illness in our society. Military leaders are concerned with rising medical costs and the related negative effects on combat readiness associated with tobacco use. Tobacco use cessation (TUC) programs available in the military services have not reached their full potential. Dental officers have an opportunity to assume a more active role as first-line providers in TUC programs. This paper presents a model TUC program for use in military dental clinics. It emphasizes the dentist's role in directly prescribing pharmacologic agents in nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) combined with appropriate patient counseling. Other key elements of this TUC program include the non-threatening manner in which patients are offered access to TUC, its convenience when compared with other programs, and the minimal cost to implement this program.