title: Effective smokeless tobacco intervention for dental hygiene patients.
abstract: This study was designed to test the effectiveness of a smokeless tobacco (ST) intervention delivered in the oral healthcare office setting. A total of 518 male ST users were identified by questionnaire in clinic waiting rooms and then randomly assigned to either a usual-care control group or a special intervention group. Dental hygienists took the primary role in delivering the intervention, which consisted of a soft-tissue examination with special attention to oral lesions, advice to quit ST, distribution of self-help materials, a short video on why and how to stop using smokeless tobacco, and encouragement to set a quit date. Follow-up assessments conducted three months after the office visit showed that a significantly greater proportion of intervention group patients had stopped using ST (32% of the intervention group participants versus 21% of control group patients, kappa 2 = 8.03, p less than .01). The intervention protocol is described in detail so that dental hygienists may adapt it for use in their practice.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Severson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lichtenstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003756:Dental Hygienists; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless