title: Dental vs. Medical Students' Comfort with Smoking Cessation Counseling: Implications for Dental Education.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine if dental and medical students have similar feelings of professional responsibility, comfort, and confidence with counseling patients about smoking cessation during their clinical years. All third- and fourth-year osteopathic medical (N=580) and dental students (N=144) at Western University of Health Sciences were invited to participate in a survey in April-July 2014, either electronically or in person, regarding their perceived professional responsibility, comfort, and confidence in counseling smokers about quitting and major constraints against counseling smokers about quitting. Respondents' demographic characteristics, smoking history, and history of living with a smoker were also assessed. Response rates were 21% (124/580) for medical and 82% (118/144) for dental students. Most of the responding medical (99.2%) and dental (94.9%) students reported feeling it was their professional responsibility to counsel patients about smoking cessation. Medical student respondents were significantly more comfortable and confident counseling patients about smoking cessation than dental student respondents (p<0.001). Students in the third year were just as comfortable and confident counseling patients about smoking cessation as students in the fourth year (p>0.10). There were no differences by age, but students who were former smokers were significantly more comfortable and confident counseling about smoking cessation than were nonsmokers (p=0.001). While almost all of the responding students reported feeling responsible for counseling patients about smoking cessation, the medical students and former smokers were more comfortable and confident performing this counseling. These results suggest the need for additional training in counseling techniques for dental students and nonsmokers. Future studies should assess the impact of medical and dental students' smoking cessation counseling.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Allen is currently in private practice in central Connecticut; this research was conducted when she was a Pediatric Dental Resident, New York University Lutheran Medical Center-Southern California and San Ysidro Health Clinics, San Diego, CA; and Dr. Kritz-Silverstein is Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego.
authors.forename: Staci Robinson
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Dr. Allen is currently in private practice in central Connecticut; this research was conducted when she was a Pediatric Dental Resident, New York University Lutheran Medical Center-Southern California and San Ysidro Health Clinics, San Diego, CA; and Dr. Kritz-Silverstein is Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego. dsilverstein@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kritz-Silverstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003376:Counseling; D004497:Education, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: dental education; dental students; medical education; medical students; secondhand smoke; smoking cessation; tobacco cessation counseling; tobacco dependence