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

Tarja Tanner,Rune Becher,Håkon Rukke Valen,Vibeke Ansteinsson,Simen E Kopperud,Line Schrøder Karlsen,Liv Grøtvedt

doi:10.1002/cre2.171

Abstract

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.

Highlights

The type of smokeless tobacco predominantly used in the Nordic countries is snus, and it is mostly produced in Sweden (Benowitz, 2014; Foulds, Ramstrom, Burke, & Fagerstrom, 2003)
This study investigated attitudes and activities towards snus intervention in adolescent patients among dentists and dental hygienists in the Public Dental Service (PDS) in south‐eastern Norway
Most of the dentists and dental hygienists participating in the present study began to ask about snus use habits when the patients were 16–18 years old

Summary

Introduction

The type of smokeless tobacco predominantly used in the Nordic countries is snus, and it is mostly produced in Sweden (Benowitz, 2014; Foulds, Ramstrom, Burke, & Fagerstrom, 2003). The sale of snus is allowed in the European countries of Norway, Belarus, and Russia, but it is illegal everywhere in the European Union except Sweden. It most likely has less adverse health effects than smoking, snus use still involves a range of adverse health effects that are not necessarily perceived (by the users). The use of snus during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, premature birth, and stillbirth (Wikstrom, Cnattingius, Galanti, Kieler, & Stephansson, 2010). Current data support that snus use increases the risk of diabetes type 2 in a dose‐dependent way

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