Prevention of snus use: Attitudes and activities in the Public Dental Service in the south‐eastern part of Norway

Dental health care professionals have the opportunity to play a key role in tobacco prevention and cessation among adolescents. Snus use has increased in Norway, especially in the age group 16–24, whereas there has been a decline in smoking. This study investigated attitudes and activities related t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical and experimental dental research 2019-06, Vol.5 (3), p.205-211
Main Authors: Tanner, Tarja, Valen, Håkon Rukke, Grøtvedt, Liv, Kopperud, Simen E., Becher, Rune, Karlsen, Line Schrøder, Ansteinsson, Vibeke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Dental health
Dentists
health promotion
Intervention
Medical personnel
Methods
Norway
oral health
Original
Prevention
Public Dental Service
Questionnaires
Response rates
Smoking
snus cessation
Studies
Tobacco
Womens health
Young adults
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Summary:Dental health care professionals have the opportunity to play a key role in tobacco prevention and cessation among adolescents. Snus use has increased in Norway, especially in the age group 16–24, whereas there has been a decline in smoking. This study investigated attitudes and activities related to snus prevention among dental health care professionals working in the Public Dental Service (PDS) in south‐eastern Norway. A web‐based survey with a total of 557 dentists and dental hygienists in seven counties in Norway, with a response rate of 53.5%, was carried out in 2017. Dentists' and dental hygienists' activities regarding preventive snus use intervention were analysed using the chi‐square test. Intervention was measured with a score (1–5) based on four questions. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between the explanatory variables of attitudes/activities and the outcome intervention variable. Approximately 87% of the dentists and 58% of the dental hygienists were not familiar with the “minimum intervention method” for tobacco prevention and cessation. Dental hygienists were most active in informing and supporting their patients in prevention and cessation of snus use. The PDS is an underutilized arena for tobacco prevention and cessation among adolescents, and the intervention potential is particularly high among the dentists.
ISSN:2057-4347
2057-4347
DOI:10.1002/cre2.171