Smoking prevalence and attitude toward anti-smoking activities among Korean dentists

Aims: To investigate the smoking habits and attitudes toward anti-smoking activities of Korean dentists according to their smoking status. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 2,500 currently active Korean dentists in 2008. After 20% of the 1,680 returned surveys (response rate 67.2%) were excluded due to missing data, 1,443 surveys were analysed. Results: Among the 1,443 respondents, most were male (81.8%) and age 40-49 was the most prevalent age group (41.6%). Approximately half of participating dentists were never-smokers, 24.6% were current smokers, and 29% were ex-smokers. Women (95.8%) were significantly more likely to have never smoked than men (35.4%). Prevalence of cigarette smoking of Korean male and female dentists was much lower than that of male and female Korean adults, respectively. Ex-smokers were significantly more likely to show a positive attitude about anti-smoking activities, compared to current smokers (p<.0001). Conclusions: A majority of respondents agreed dentists should encourage their patients to stop smoking. Further effort is needed to encourage smoking cessation among male Korean dentists who smoke so they benefit from a healthier lifestyle and will subsequently be more likely to provide recommendations for smoking prevention and cessation for their patients.