Smoking Cessation Help from Dental Hygienists
Author Information
Author(s): Binnie Vivian I, McHugh Siobhan, Jenkins William, Borland William, Macpherson Lorna M
Primary Institution: Glasgow Dental Hospital and School
Hypothesis
Can dental hygienists effectively deliver smoking cessation advice to periodontal patients?
Conclusion
Trained dental hygienists can potentially deliver smoking cessation advice, leading to modest quit rates.
Supporting Evidence
- At 3 months, 15% of the intervention group quit compared to 9% of controls.
- At 6 months, 10% of the intervention group quit compared to 5% of controls.
- At one year, 7% of the intervention group quit compared to 4% of controls.
- A higher percentage of intervention participants reported quit attempts of at least one week.
Takeaway
Dental hygienists can help people stop smoking, but not everyone will quit. It's like having a friend who encourages you to stop eating candy, but some people still want to eat it.
Methodology
A randomized controlled trial with 116 participants receiving either smoking cessation advice or usual care.
Potential Biases
Potential contamination between intervention and control groups due to the same practitioners delivering both types of care.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and a high dropout rate at follow-up.
Participant Demographics
71% female, mean age 39.9 years for intervention group and 43.5 years for control group.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.449
Confidence Interval
95% CI (I-C) = (-8.4, 25.6)%
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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