Attitudes of Hungarian dental professionals to tobacco use and cessation.

Smoking is the most preventable cause of death worldwide. The regularity of visits of patients to dental offices offers a valuable contact for health professionals and the healthcare system to initiate anti-smoking activity. However, these contacts remain unutilized and there is little interaction between doctor and patient with regard to prevention of smoking and its consequences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current situation and attitudes towards smoking and giving up smoking among dental professionals. A survey was carried out in the sample consisting in total of 342 participants, 212 students of dentistry and 130 dentists. Students were asked to complete a questionaire during the enrolment period; dentists were asked to complete the questionnaire while attending an annual compulsory in-service training course at the University of Szeged. The data were analysed statistically using SPSS 10.0 software, significance was tested using the Mann-Whitney U test and results were compared with data from a similar study conducted by the same research group in 2004 in which general knowledge and attitude towards smoking and giving up smoking was measured and evaluated. Results demonstrated that there is a lower number of smokers among dental professionals (dentists: 22.3%; students: 20.3%) than in the Hungarian general population and high interest in encouraging and assisting patients in giving up smoking (dentists: 45%; students: 54%). Comparing the results of this study to earlier data collated in 2004, we find a decreasing ratio of smokers among students (34% in 2004 and 20.3% in 2011). An increasing need for information about smoking cessation, tobacco related health hazards and the lack of detailed knowledge about methods and patient education were identified.