Tag Archives: tobacco smoking

Smoking Related Habits and Attitudes of Dental Students

Objective: It has been established that smoking causes four million deaths each year worldwide. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the students’ smoking habits and their attitude towards smoking cessation.
Methods: The survey conducted in 2011 was based on a questionnaire filled in anonymously by dental students from each year of study at the Faculty of Dental Medicine in Tîrgu Mureș. Six-hundred ninety-two students (454 female, 238 male) aged 18 to 30+ years were questioned. The statistical analysis was performed by analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney test.
Results: 35.25% of the participants were smoking. Statistically significant differences could not be observed in gender distribution of the smokers group (p=0.728). The majority of subjects were smoking less than one cigarette/day, however significant differences were found in student’s smoking habits (p=0.006). 38.11% of the smokers have already tried to quit smoking more than five times without success and 32.37% never tried to quit smoking in the last year. 94% of the participants agreed that both the active and the passive smoking is harmful for the general health. The dental students explained very rarely the risks of tobacco smoking to their smoking patients: 30.78% ignored it and 15.17% of students did not respond this question.
Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking was high in the surveyed students, however the majority of the smokers had tried to quit smoking. The results call for relevant educational measures for smoking prevention and cessation.

Full text: PDF

A Comparison of Periodontal Health Status in Smoker, Former Smoker and Non-Smoker Patients

Objective: The aim of this case-control study was to assess the smoker, former smoker and non-smoker patients’ periodontal status.
Methods: The study was based on a clinical examination of 80 patients (46 female, 34 male) from Tîrgu-Mureș, aged between 16 and 78 years, who were questioned about their smoking habits and oral hygiene. Patients were classified in four groups: non-smokers, former smokers, occasional- and active smokers. The clinical examination evaluated the dental calculus index, papilla bleeding index, Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN), probing depth and gingival recession. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson`s chi-square test.
Results: Statistically significant association between active smokers and non-smokers was found comparing the mean values of the papilla bleeding index and of the depth of periodontal pockets (p=0.0001). No statistically significant differences between active- and non-smokers were found regarding the dental calculus index (p=0.5483). Most of the active smokers (55%) and occasional smokers (65%) smoke less than 5 years. 60% of the active smokers and 35% of the occasional smokers tried to quit smoking.
Conclusions: In our study, most of the typical indicators for periodontal disease showed significantly increased values in investigated smokers compared to non-smokers. The results call for relevant measures for smoking prevention and cessation in Tîrgu-Mureș

Full text: PDF

A Comparison of Oral Health Status in Active-, Occasional- and Non-Smoker Patients Versus Students

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2013-0001

Objective: The aim of this case-control study was to assess the smoker and non-smoker patients’ oral health status versus students.
Methods: The study was based on a clinical examination of 210 young adults (118 women, 92 men) aged between 22–32 years. 105 of these were students in the 5th and 6th grade of the Faculty of Dentistry in Tîrgu Mureș and the control group was represented by patients. Patients and students were classified into three groups: non-smokers, occasional- and active smokers. The clinical examination evaluated the dental caries, fillings, extractions, crowns, root remnants and dental plaque. DMF-S index scores were calculated, and with its help the index of treatment need, dental care index and intensity of caries were determined.
Results: The dental treatment need index, DMF-S index and intensity of caries showed increased values in patients. Root remnants (p <0.0001), decay (p = 0.0473) and dental plaque (p = 0.0363) were much higher in the group of active smoker students as in the non-smoker students. Among active smoker patients the incidence of dental calculus (p = 0.0005), of root remnants (p = 0.0022) and of fillings (p = 0.0441) showed a higher value than in the non-smokers.
Conclusions: This study showed that compared with non-student patients, in dental students, a better oral hygiene was coupled with healthier teeth and periodontal. Poor oral hygiene together with smoking seems to worsen the oral health status.

Full text: PDF