Assessment of dental students' knowledge and attitudes regarding passive smoking and its effects on dental health

Passive smoking is also called secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure remains one of the most important yet preventable threats to child health worldwide. Because dentists regularly encounter children and their caregivers, their contribution to household-level tobacco prevention depends on adequate professional training. This study aimed to evaluate dental students' knowledge and attitudes regarding the oral and dental health consequences of passive smoking, with emphasis on child health and preventive responsibility.

This cross-sectional study included 748 undergraduate dental students from first to fifth academic year at a public university in Türkiye. Participants completed a structured 16-item questionnaire assessing knowledge of SHS-related systemic and oral health effects, perceived educational sufficiency, and attitudes toward recording SHS exposure during patient anamnesis.

Overall awareness of the harmful effects of passive smoking was high, but significant differences were observed across academic years. Third-year students demonstrated the highest proportion of correct responses, whereas first-year students showed the lowest, and total knowledge scores differed significantly between years (p < 0.001). Although 58.9% of students reported having sufficient knowledge, only a minority had received formal education on SHS, with the lowest rate among second-year students (17.2%). Most students agreed that SHS exposure should be routinely recorded and considered during treatment planning (p < 0.001).

A clear gap exists between general awareness and structured education on SHS. Integrating comprehensive SHS-focused training into undergraduate dental curricula may strengthen child-centred tobacco prevention and enhance the role of dentists in reducing household tobacco exposure.