[Smoking and orthodontics].
In view of the severe adverse effects that smoking has on health, much energy is being invested especially to prevent adolescents from starting to smoke or to get them to stop. Since orthodontists have regular contact with a rather large group of young people during the period when they begin to smoke, a study was conducted to determine whether these specialists could be engaged in an organized anti-smoking programme. One of the relevant considerations was that orthodontists are succesful in motivating adolescents to wear braces. Research has shown that dentists in an organized programme in the United States were able to achieve a significant reduction in the percentage of adult smokers. The research findings revealed, however, that the orthodontists nevertheless lacked sufficient training and motivation to be effectively employed in an anti-smoking programme. The results of some clinical trials with adolescent patients were disappointing, but they did make clear what needs to be done to achieve improvements. Well organized involvement in a sound anti-smoking programme in The Netherlands will require very careful preparation and will only be able to start after well designed and successful clinical trials.
Kuitert
R B
RB
Uit de afdeling Orthodontie, Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde Amsterdam (ACTA). r.kuitert@acta.nl
D000293:Adolescent; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D009970:Orthodontics; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention