Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2013 Apr 11;13:336. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-336.
Prior research demonstrated a need and opportunity to target smokers calling a free, state-funded tobacco quitline to provide behavioral counseling for oral health promotion; however, it is unclear whether these results generalize to tobacco quitline callers of higher socioeconomic status receiving services through commercially-funded quitlines. This knowledge will inform planning for a future public oral health promotion program targeted to tobacco quitline callers.
We surveyed smokers (n = 455) who had recently received tobacco quitline services through their medical insurance. Participants were asked about their self-reported oral health indicators, key behavioral risk factors for oral disease, motivation for changing their oral self-care behavior, and interest in future oral health promotion services. Where applicable, results were compared against those from a representative sample of callers to a free, state-funded quitline (n = 816) in the same geographic region.
Callers to a commercially-funded quitline had higher socioeconomic status, were more likely to have dental insurance, and reported better overall oral health indicators and routine self-care (oral hygiene, dental visits) than callers to a state-funded quitline. Nevertheless opportunities for oral health promotion were identified. Nearly 80% of commercial quitline callers failed to meet basic daily hygiene recommendations, 32.8% had not visited the dentist in more than a year, and 63.3% reported daily alcohol consumption (which reacts synergistically with tobacco to increase oral cancer risk). Nearly half (44%) were interested in learning how to improve their oral health status and, on average, moderately high levels of motivation for oral health care were reported. Many participants also had dental insurance, eliminating an important barrier to professional dental care.
Future public oral health promotion efforts should focus on callers to both free state-supported and commercially-funded tobacco quitlines. While differences exist between these populations, both groups report behavioral risk factors for oral disease which represent important targets for intervention.
先前的研究表明，有必要和机会针对拨打免费的、由州政府资助的戒烟热线的吸烟者提供行为咨询，以促进口腔健康；然而，目前尚不清楚这些结果是否适用于通过商业资助的戒烟热线获得服务的社会经济地位较高的戒烟热线呼叫者。这些知识将为未来针对戒烟热线呼叫者的公共口腔健康促进计划提供规划依据。
我们调查了最近通过医疗保险接受过戒烟热线服务的吸烟者（n=455）。参与者被问及他们自我报告的口腔健康指标、口腔疾病的关键行为风险因素、改变口腔自我保健行为的动机，以及对未来口腔健康促进服务的兴趣。在适用的情况下，结果与同一地理区域内免费的、由州政府资助的戒烟热线（n=816）的代表性呼叫者进行了比较。
商业资助的戒烟热线呼叫者社会经济地位较高，更有可能拥有牙科保险，并且报告的整体口腔健康指标和常规自我保健（口腔卫生、看牙医）优于州政府资助的戒烟热线呼叫者。尽管如此，仍有机会进行口腔健康促进。近 80%的商业戒烟热线呼叫者未能达到基本的日常卫生建议，32.8%的人一年以上没有去看牙医，63.3%的人报告每天饮酒（与烟草协同作用，增加口腔癌风险）。近一半（44%）的人有兴趣了解如何改善他们的口腔健康状况，并且平均报告了较高水平的口腔保健动机。许多参与者还拥有牙科保险，这消除了接受专业牙科护理的一个重要障碍。
未来的公共口腔健康促进工作应重点关注免费的州政府支持和商业资助的戒烟热线呼叫者。虽然这两个群体之间存在差异，但他们都报告了口腔疾病的行为风险因素，这些因素是干预的重要目标。
