Smoking cessation - the role of the dental team implications for the Caribbean [abstract]

There is increasing awareness that cigarette smoking not only threatens systemic health but also compromises oral health. For example, smoking can result in staining of teeth, halitosis (bad breath), altered salivary flow, predisposition to chronic and acute periodontal disease and oral candidosis, delayed wound healing, failure of dental implants, oral mucosal lesions, oral precancer and cancer. Although data from the United Kingdom show a reduction in the prevalence of smoking since the 1960s, there is an upward trend of smoking among young adults, particularly teenage girls. There are no comparable data for the Caribbean but it is plausible to assume a similar trend may exist, suggesting the need for primary prevention strategies. The dental team often treats patients in a primary care setting and, apart from an important role in early detection of smoking-related oral conditions, may also be well placed to aid in preventive strategies through the implementation of chair-side smoking cessation programmes. These programmes are based on the 4-As strategy: Ask, Advise, Assist, Arrange, and have been recently developed specifically for the dental team. There should also be close collaboration between the dental team and other primary health care professionals to improve health promotion strategies aimed at reducing the prevalence of smoking. Dental health professionals in the Caribbean must be made aware of smoking cessation programmes for their patients and research into their effectiveness, in a Caribbean population, is required. (AU)