Integration of a Nationally Recognized Tobacco Treatment Specialist Certification into Health Sciences Curricula: A short report

Tobacco use impacts every organ in the body. Dental professionals observe the detrimental oral and systemic consequences of tobacco use. Routine dental hygiene and dental appointments are an ideal opportunity for tobacco cessation discussions. Oral health care professionals can take the lead in assisting patients with evidence-based tobacco cessation strategies. Incorporation of tobacco cessation treatment within the curriculum of dental and dental hygiene programs will promote interprofessional tobacco cessation services. The purpose of this short report is to describe the process of introducing a Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) program into the curricula of four health professional programs (dentistry, dental hygiene, pharmacy, and physician assistant) within a university health sciences center. Upon graduation, all involved students may qualify for TTS credentials. This report describes the importance of the interprofessional team, particularly dentists and dental hygienists, in the implementation of the first dental school-based certified tobacco treatment training program and incorporation of tobacco treatment content into interprofessional healthcare program curricula.