Colorado dental practitioners' attitudes and practices regarding tobacco-use prevention activities for 8- through 12-year-old patients.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is a leading risk factor for oral morbidities and mortalities such as oral cancers and periodontitis. This study characterizes the factors related to dentists and hygienists conducting tobacco-use prevention counseling with 8- through 12-year-old patients. METHODS: The study used a mailed survey of dentists (n = 434), orthodontists (n = 91) and hygienists (n = 160) practicing in Colorado to collect data on the practitioners' tobacco-use prevention counseling activity, demographic characteristics, barriers to counseling and attitudes toward tobacco use. The authors used multiple logistic regression to determine which variables were associated independently with a dental practitioner's counseling children. RESULTS: The response rate was 25.6 percent. Prevalence of tobacco-use prevention counseling for children was low (38 percent for dentists and 44 percent for hygienists). Among dentists, the perception of tobacco use in children as a problem, perceived effectiveness of counseling and perceived role of a dental practitioner in counseling children were associated positively with counseling. Lack of skills was associated negatively with counseling. Among hygienists, perceived role in counseling children was associated positively and lack of time was associated negatively with counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Few dental practitioners counsel 8- through 12-year-old patients about tobacco use. Factors related to counseling appear to be amenable to education of dentists, in particular, regarding the importance of the problem, the effectiveness of counseling and skill development. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Preventing tobacco use among children is integral to promoting patients' oral health. Training dentists through continuing education should increase the frequency of tobacco-use prevention counseling with children by both dentists and hygienists.