Knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of dental students towards obesity

Objective: Obesity is a chronic medical condition associated with various oral health problems. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of dental students towards obesity

Methods: Second-, third-, and fourth-year dental students completed a self-administered questionnaire. An ethics committee approved the study. Participants were asked questions focused on three areas: [i] knowledge, [ii] perceptions, and [iii] attitudes about obesity. Data analyses were carried out using SPSS version 20

Results: Among the dental students, 78.9% received 0-1 h of formal education about obesity. The mean score of the total time allocated for obesity-related education was 1.31 +/- 0.23 h. Eighty-nine percent of the dental students agreed that obesity is a chronic medical condition, 30% agreed that they would modify their equipment and office furniture to accommodate obese patients, and 46.8% were interested in learning more about obesity in dental school

Conclusions:Obesity-related education should be implemented as a formal component of dental student training. Oral health practitioners should also provide their patients with information about how weight loss is beneficial to both general and oral health

Knowledge and attitude of tobacco use and cessation among dental professionals

Smoking is the one of the most preventable causes of death worldwide. Dental professionals may play an important role in anti-smoking campaigns. The aim of this study was to evaluate current knowledge of and attitudes toward smoking and its cessation among dental professionals. This questionnaire-based study was carried out among general dental practitioners [GDPs] and dental students in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes toward tobacco use and cessation. Data were analyzed using SPSS software [version 18.0; IBM] and the Mann-Whitney U-test, with a significance level of p < 0.001.A total of 342 participants [130 GDPs, 212 dental students] with the mean age of 24 [standard deviation, 5] years participated in the study. One-third [33.8%, n = 44] of GDPs and 30.2% [n = 64] of dental students were smokers; small percentages [GDPs, 9.1% [n = 4]; dental students, 7.8% [n = 5]] were heavy smokers. The majority of participants rated both smoking cessation and prevention together as a very important preventive measure. Families were rated as the most important factor responsible for smoking cessation, whereas general practitioners were rated as the most important factor for providing assistance with cessation. More meaningful participation of dental professionals in tobacco cessation is needed, with implications for related curriculum changes

Effect of Tobacco Use On Oral Health- An Overview

Tobacco use is linked with many serious illnesses, such as cancer, cardiopulmonary diseases, as well as with many health problems. Every year, the use of tobacco products causes a heavy toll of deaths and severe human disease worldwide. One of the many health problems linked to tobacco use is its detrimental impact on oral health. Tobacco causes a whole series of oral health problems, ranging from life-threatening (precancerous changes leading to oral cancer) and serious (periodontal disease, teeth decay) to social (bad breath). Tobacco is consumed through the mouth in a variety of forms, varied from smoked tobacco to smokeless tobacco chewing on itself or combined with areca nut. All these forms of tobacco have damaging effects on the oral health. The most significant preventive measure to prevent the oral health problems caused by tobacco use is to stop using tobacco products. The risk of developing oral cancer drops rapidly when a smoker ceases tobacco use. After ten years of not using tobacco, an ex-smoker/user’s risk of oral cancers is about the same as that for someone who has never smoked. To stop using tobacco products is not an easy task. Fortunately, there are a number of therapies available to assist in quitting of tobacco. It is important to remember that, while it will be difficult, ceasing to use tobacco has immediate health benefits, including increased life expectancy and reduced risk of tobacco related diseases and conditions.