Tobacco cessation: attitude and practice of dentists in Northern United Arab Emirates

Background: Tobacco use has profound health consequences globally. Dentists with positive attitudes towards tobacco cessation counselling show minimal involvement in practice. Aims: To assess the attitude and practice of dentists in the Northern United Arab Emirates towards tobacco cessation advice. Methods: An interviewer-administered, questionnaire-based study was conducted among 250 dentists practicing in the Northern Emirates in 2015. Statistical analysis was performed with the chi(2) test and multivariate analysis. Results: Around 88% of dentists exhibited good attitudes but only 37% had good practice of providing tobacco cessation advice to their patients. Nationality, level of education, total duration of practice and personal use of tobacco were significantly associated with attitude towards tobacco cessation. Nonusers of tobacco showed an odds ratio of 3.12 (95% confidence interval: 1.18-8.20) towards good attitude. Conclusions: Most of the surveyed dentists had a good attitude towards provision of tobacco cessation advice, but comparatively suboptimal practice was observed. We recommend providing training to the dentists on the methods and techniques of tobacco cessation.