title: Addressing tobacco in managed care: a survey of dentists' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the tobacco cessation knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of dentists participating in a large managed care dental plan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participating dentists in 4 states were surveyed via mail.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dentists' perceived success in helping patients quit using tobacco was highly correlated with discussion of specific strategies for quitting, advice about the use of nicotine gum, and time spent counseling patients. Dentists who were confident about their smoking cessation knowledge frequently advised patients to quit and spent more time counseling patients about tobacco cessation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tobacco cessation is not a routine part of dental practice. Knowledge, time spent counseling patients, and specific strategies for quitting were associated with dentists' perceptions of success.
authors.affiliation: Division of Community Health, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Kavita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahluwalia
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sadowsky
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003237:Connecticut; D003376:Counseling; D003815:Dentists / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007347:Insurance, Dental; D008329:Managed Care Programs; D009515:New Jersey; D009518:New York; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010414:Pennsylvania; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*