Medications to Assist in Tobacco Cessation for Dental Patients

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness in the United States. Without assistance, only 3% to 6% of smokers successfully quit after 1 year. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), buproprion, and varenicline are first-line pharmacologic therapies. These medications function by reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the desire to smoke. When first-line therapy does not lead to successful smoking cessation, combinations of varenicline with NRT, buproprion with NRT, and varenicline with buproprion may be efficacious. Behavioral therapy also plays a role in smoking cessation and the combination of pharmacologic therapy with behavioral therapy is more effective than either therapy alone.