Tobacco cessation interventions by Swedish dental hygienists--a questionnaire study

The aim of the study was to investigate tobacco cessation interventions by Swedish dental hygienists and their perception of the importance of tobacco cessation to oral health. A questionnaire was mailed to 400 randomly selected dental hygienists (DH) in Sweden. The questions covered such topics as tobacco cessation interventions, perceived barriers, and their perception of the importance of tobacco cessation in relation to caries, gingivitis, periodontitis and dental implants. The response rate was 57%. Tobacco habits were routinely recorded by 94% of the respondents. 52% of the dental hygienists reported time constraints, 50% reported insufficient competence and 43% answered that they had lack of experience to work with tobacco cessation. All respondents perceived tobacco cessation to be an important determinant of treatment outcomes in patients with dental implants and periodontitis. Bivariate analysis showed an association between training courses in tobacco cessation and tobacco cessation interventions (OR 3.25, CI 95% 1.80-5.85). A logistic multivariate regression model disclosed two other factors significantly correlated with tobacco cessation interventions: competence (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.16-4.85), and experience (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.06-4.28). The analyses were adjusted for age, length of undergraduate training course, and dental care organization. The dental hygienists considered tobacco cessation to be very important in patients with periodontitis and in those with dental implants. Most of the DH in this study undertook some tobacco cessation interventions, though not extensive; the main barriers reported were lack of time, competence and experience.