Prevalence and Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Tobacco Use Among Medical and Dental Students in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Background Tobacco use remains a significant global public health concern, causing millions of preventable and premature deaths annually and imposing substantial economic burdens. India, the second-largest producer and consumer of tobacco products worldwide, bears a significant burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Medical and dental students represent the future healthcare workforce and role models; hence, their tobacco consumption and attitude would play a vital role in tobacco control. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding tobacco use among medical and dental students in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using the Global Health Professional Students Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. The study included third-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students from two private medical and two dental colleges in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Data were collected from February to April 2019 through anonymous self-administered questionnaires, and descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Results A total of 400 students were surveyed, with 16% reporting being current smokers (24.3% males, 8.7% females). Furthermore, 36.8% had tried cigarettes and other tobacco products. Nonsmokers demonstrated stronger support for comprehensive tobacco control policies, such as banning advertising and smoking in public places, compared to current smokers. Most students acknowledged the importance of recording tobacco use history and providing educational materials; however, only around 40% had received formal training on smoking cessation. Conclusion The findings highlight the need for targeted intervention among medical and dental students for tobacco cessation. It is vital to foster a positive attitude toward tobacco control among future healthcare professionals. Health professional institutions should take proactive steps to prevent tobacco use among students and develop initiatives to motivate successful cessation training. Investing in tobacco control education for healthcare professionals is crucial to empower them in tobacco cessation efforts and promote healthier societies.

Tobacco and E-Cigarette Use among Thai Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional National Survey, 2021.

Objectives: This study examined the prevalence of tobacco and e-cigarette use, attitudes toward tobacco control, training on tobacco control in the dental curriculum, and attitudes toward e-cigarette use among Thai dental students. Materials and Methods: An online survey among 1968 Thai dental students was conducted in 2021. The questionnaire was modified from the Global Health Professions Student Survey with information collected on tobacco products, e-cigarette use, attitudes, and training toward tobacco control in the dental curriculum and personal information (e.g., sex, course year, regions, and types of dental schools). Descriptive analyses and χ2 tests were performed. Results: The prevalence of tobacco and e-cigarette use among Thai dental students was 4.2%. Out of current users, 95% used e-cigarettes and 36.6% used multiple products, with a 1.7% prevalence of conventional cigarettes and other forms of tobacco use. Tobacco and e-cigarette use was higher in male than female dental students and was not associated with course year, region, and type of dental school. Conclusions: A small percentage of Thai dental students used tobacco or e-cigarettes, with the majority of current tobacco users being e-cigarette users. Thai dental students generally had a favorable view of tobacco control and a negative view of e-cigarette use. However, fewer than half of the surveyed students had received training in tobacco cessation therapy.

Smoking Prevalence, Attitudes and Behavior among Dental Students in Poland and Italy.

The aim of the study was to perform preliminary research to compare the smoking prevalence, attitudes and behavior between dentistry students in two universities in Europe using the standardized Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. This was cross-sectional carried out among dentistry students from the Medical University in Bialystok, Poland and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. There were 582 participants; 282 were Italians, 202 were smokers and 42% were Italians. The response rate was 79.9% of Italian students and 79.6% of Polish students. The prevalence of smoking was significantly higher among Italian students (42% vs. 28.0%). Attitudes and behaviour of smokers and non-smokers differed statistically. Polish and Italian dental students presented statistically different behavior regarding the time to smoke the first cigarette, the willingness to stop smoking and trying to stop smoking in the last year. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that two independent variables, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) both at home and in public places (OR = 3.26 and OR = 5.9, respectively), showed a significantly higher occurrence of smoking. There is a high use of tobacco among dental students, which is particularly high in Italian dental students. Students realizes the positive perception of their own tobacco counsellor role in a dental setting. Dental students should be role models to their peers and patients.

Tobacco Use among Health Professional Students in Chitwan, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Health professional students play a critical role in tobacco control by providing services, advocating for policies and serving as role models for social change. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of tobacco use and determine the attitude and behavior regarding tobacco use among health professional students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among third-year medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy undergraduates using GHPSS questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 16.3% students were current cigarette smokers. 33.2% students had ever smoked cigarettes, and 57.0% had smoked first cigarettes during adolescence life. Cigarette smoking consumption was higher than the use of other tobacco products like chewing tobacco, snuff, bidis, hookah, cigar or pipes and. 10.0%students were current users of other tobacco products.22.1%students had ever used other tobacco products.31.6% were exposed to second-hand smoke at home and 48.9% were exposed to second-hand smoke at public places. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of smoking and exposure to second-hand was high among medical students. Medical educators should consider revising the medical curricula to focus on tobacco cessation training/counseling in medical schools.

Tobacco use and attitudes towards tobacco control activities of Malaysian dental students

@#Tobacco usage among dental students and the amount of training they received may have an impact on tobacco cessation activities undertaken for their patients. This study aims to assess Malaysian dental students’ tobacco use, exposure to second-hand smoke and their attitude towards tobacco control activities and curriculum. This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire adapted from the Global Health Professions Students Survey (GHPSS). The questionnaire was distributed to all Malaysian fourth and fifth year dental students in four public dental schools (n=372), namely University of Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). The data were analysed using descriptive and chi square tests. In total, (n=349) respondents completed the questionnaire, yielding a 93.8% response rate. Although the prevalence of Malaysian dental students who ‘ever smoked’ was 21.2%, the prevalence of current smokers was low (2.3%). About 62% and 39% of students reported having been exposed to second-hand smoke in public and at home, respectively. USIM students were significantly less likely to recall having received training about approaches to smoking cessation (52.9%, p<0.001). Significantly fewer smokers than non-smokers agreed on tobacco banning policy. Regardless of their smoking status, the majority of dental students showed positive attitudes towards dentists’ role in tobacco cessation. Tobacco user among Malaysian dental students was low. There were statistically significant differences between ever smokers and non-smokers’ attitudes towards tobacco banning policy. The majority of dental students showed positive attitudes towards dentists’ role in tobacco cessation.