Patient feedback as a motivating force to quit smoking.
OBJECTIVE
The effectiveness of a brief intervention by dental professionals utilizing feedback of oral symptoms and dental treatments specifically relevant to smoking was examined in terms of it being a motivating factor to quit smoking.


METHODS
Information pertaining to the present study was mailed to 208 dental clinics and 45 dentists agreed to participate. Dental patients who currently smoked were assigned consecutively to either an intervention (IG) or nonintervention group (NG) in each clinic during the 6-month experimental period. In IG, dental professionals provided brief explanations regarding oral symptoms and dental treatments specifically relevant to smoking. The effectiveness of intervention was evaluated with respect to attempts to quit and progression through the stages of behavioral changes involved in quitting using the standardized questionnaire.


RESULTS
Dropout was considerable; 10 clinics terminated their participation. Questionnaires of 797 patients (IG, 416; NG, 381) were received from 35 clinics and the records of 497 patients (IG, 248; NG, 249) were analyzed. Among patients in IG and NG, 12.1% and 4.8% reported attempts to quit, respectively. Odds ratios of quitting attempts and progression and regression through the stages of behavioral changes adjusted for sex, age, and stage at the first visit were 2.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.04, 4.5), 1.7 (1.1, 2.8), and 0.28 (0.15, 0.53) for all patients, respectively, and 3.1 (1.3, 7.5), 2.1 (1.3, 3.4), and 0.21 (0.11, 0.44), respectively, for patients who were not ready to quit. Trends in the movement through stages differed because of the stage at the first visit.


CONCLUSIONS
As a result of the limitation imposed by the considerable dropout number, we concluded that a brief intervention by dental professionals potentially motivates smokers with respect to their attempts to quit smoking and promotes behavioral changes involved in quitting.
Hanioka
Takashi
T
Department of Preventive and Public Health Dentistry, Fukuoka Dental College, Fukuoka, Japan. haniokat@college.fdcnet.ac.jp
Ojima
Miki
M
Hamajima
Nobuyuki
N
Naito
Mariko
M
D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005246:Feedback; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009042:Motivation; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D023861:Photography, Dental; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires