Abstract
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.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year; 7 million of those deaths are due to direct tobacco use and 1.2 million are the result of exposure to second-hand smoke [1]
The research was conducted using the Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire, which is a part of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System [9]
The response rate was similar for both countries as 79.9% of Italian and 79.6% of Polish dental students completed the survey
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year; 7 million of those deaths are due to direct tobacco use and 1.2 million are the result of exposure to second-hand smoke [1]. 80% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1,2]. It increases the risk of several diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, oral cancers (throat, tongue, soft palate, the tonsils) and the periodontal disease [2,3,4]. Despite many tobacco control actions being performed around the world, tobacco consumption still constitutes a global public health burden that brings huge losses to the economy and society [5,6]. Public Health 2020, 17, 7451; doi:10.3390/ijerph17207451 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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