Prevalence of smoking among dentists in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of smoking among dentists in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil.


METHODS
A descriptive, cross-sectional survey, involving 446 dentists residing in the Federal District, was conducted in the second semester of 2004. Data regarding the smoking habit were obtained using a World Health Organization questionnaire that was translated and validated for use in Brazil by the Brazilian National Cancer Institute. Individuals who had smoked a minimum of one cigarette per day for at least 6 months prior to the study outset were classified as regular smokers. The distribution of frequencies was analyzed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations), as well as calculation of prevalence rates. The different variables were compared using the chi-square test, and values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.


RESULTS
Of the dentists evaluated, 37% (42% of the males and 31.4% of the females) reported being smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of smokers among dentists in the Federal District is above the national average for the adult population, which is approximately 32%. Although there was a predominance of males, the high number of female dentists who reported being smokers was a worrisome finding.
University of Brasília - Brasília, Brazil. gerlidia@yahoo.com.br <gerlidia@yahoo.com.br>
Gerlídia Araújo
GA
Rodrigues
Virgílio
V
Galvão
Carlos Alberto de Assis
CA
Viegas
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003815:Dentists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D054928:Validation Studies as Topic