Tobacco Use Among Dental Students in Morocco: Opportunities for Professional Cancer Education.

The study aimed to evaluate tobacco use, attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions about tobacco control policies and smoking cessation counseling among dental students in Morocco. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dentistry Faculty of the Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences of Casablanca, using the Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) tool. Participants completed a self-administered survey questionnaire, including information on socio-demographic characteristics, tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, attitudes, behavior and cessation, curriculum, and training. A total of 426 dental students were included in the study. Over 15% of the participants were current smokers, and 31.2% had tried smoking at least once. About 29.3% reported having been exposed to secondhand smoke in family settings and 49.5% in other environments. The majority of the students had felt that health professionals were role models for their patients. However, only 20% had felt they had received formal training in smoking cessation approaches. More than 70% of smokers had tried to quit smoking in the past year; however, only 41.7% reported having received help or advice. It is crucial that education and public health officials join efforts to plan and carry out programs aimed at training dental students in evidence-based cessation counseling methods, in order to change their own smoking behavior and assist their future patients. Improving dental school curriculums with regard to tobacco use prevention and cessation is also a powerful means of alleviating the national burden of cancer.

Assessment of the Quality of Life in Moroccan Patients Undergoing Orthognathic Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Dentofacial deformities can affect patient "quality of life" (QoL), and orthognathic surgery can improve this QoL. The aim of the present study is to assess changes in QoL in Moroccan adult patients with dentofacial deformities undergoing orthodontic surgical treatment. METHODS: 32 patients (21 females and 11 males; mean age 27±5.96 years) completed a specific questionnaire of QoL once the surgical phase is completed. The questionnaire includes 22 questions marked on a 4-point scale depending on how much the question covered by the statement disturbs the respondent. The 22 questions contribute to four aspects: social aspects of dentofacial deformities, facial aesthetic, oral function, and awareness of dentofacial aesthetics. RESULTS: A significant difference in QoL was observed before surgery between men and women. On the other hand, 73.6% stated of patients said that they were uncomfortable by their dentofacial appearance before surgery, and almost half of the patients have made functional limitations before surgery. After surgery, 85.42% of patients reported a positive change in their QoL. Class III patients reported greater pre-surgical aesthetic and functional restrictions than Class II skeletal patients. In post-surgery, patients in both skeletal classes showed significant improvement in their QoL, so improving the aesthetics, oral functions and self-confidence are the main motivators to seek orthognathic treatment for our patients. CONCLUSION: Improving the aesthetics, oral functions and self-confidence are the main motivators to seek orthognathic treatment for Moroccan patients.