281044
Pilot project to support dentists and dental hygienists in smoking cessation counseling in the montreal's south shore area, Canada
Sophie Arpin,
Monteregie Public Health Directorate, Longueuil, QC, Canada
Huy Hao Dao,
Monteregie Public Health Directorate, Longueuil, QC, Canada
Catherine Risi,
Monteregie Public Health Directorate, Longueuil, QC, Canada
Hawa Sissoko,
Monteregie Public Health Directorate, Longueuil, QC, Canada
Johanne Groulx,
Monteregie Public Health Directorate, Longueuil, QC, Canada
Maryse Guay,
Monteregie Public Health Directorate, Longueuil, QC, Canada
Context: Tobacco is the cause of a variety of oral health illnesses such as gingivitis, periodontitis and oral cancer. Despite the proven effectiveness of counseling provided by dentists and dental hygienists for quitting smoking, this practice seems to be suboptimal in dental offices. A pilot project to support counseling for quitting smoking in dental offices was developed, implemented and evaluated in the Montreal's South Shore area, Canada. Method: The project was developed based on the model by Walsh and McPhee (1992). Its aim is to take action on the factors influencing counseling for quitting smoking in the dental office, especially in how the dental office is organized. Implementation of the project took place between February and December 2012. A descriptive evaluation using quantitative and qualitative methods is currently underway, and will document the project's progress and the influential factors in its implementation. Results: Despite difficulties in terms of recruitment, 6 of the 16 dental offices solicited agreed to participate in the project(20 dentists and 20 dental hygienists). Preliminary results indicate that motivation, interest in smoking cessation and the initial contact with a dentist are the facilitating factors. Obstacles are a lack of time and staff changes. Conclusion: Supporting dental offices to optimize the counseling for smoking cessation is a strategy that may help reduce the smoking rate in our region. An innovative intervention has been developed, and it is important that its implementation be documented
Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health
Learning Objectives:
Explain the pilot project in dental offices for smoking cessation
Describe the framework used for evaluating the pilot project
Identify the facilitating factors for, and obstacles to, the implementation of the project
Keyword(s): Smoking, Oral Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a senior medical resident in public health and preventive medicine, I contributed significantly in numerous aspects of aforementioned pilot project. My interests in public health included health promotion and preventive clinical practices, such as tobacco cessation counseling.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
