Tobacco cessation counselling interventions delivered by dental professionals may be effective in helping tobacco users to quit

Abstract

Data sources Searches for relevant studies were made using the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction group specialised register Cochrane CENTRAL , Medline, Embase, CINAHL (Central Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Healthstar (1975–2004), ERIC, Education Resources Information Centre (1967–2004), PsycINFO (1984–2004), the National Technical Information Service database, Dissertation Abstracts Online, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness and Web of Science. Study selection Randomised and pseudo-randomised clinical trials were chosen that assessed tobacco cessation interventions, were conducted by oral health professionals in the dental office or community setting, and which had at least 6 months of follow-up. Data extraction and synthesis Two authors independently reviewed abstracts for potential inclusion and abstracted data from included trials. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Results Six clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. All studies assessed the efficacy of interventions for smokeless tobacco users, but only one also included cigarette smokers. All studies employed behavioural interventions but only one offered pharmacotherapy as an interventional component. All studies included an oral examination. Pooling of the studies suggested that interventions conducted by oral health professionals increase tobacco abstinence rates (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.16–1.78) after 12 months or longer. Heterogeneity was evident (I2, 75%) and could not be adequately explained through subgroup or sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Available evidence suggests that behavioural interventions dealing with tobacco use that are conducted by oral health professionals, which include an oral examination, in the dental office and community setting, may increase tobacco abstinence rates in smokeless tobacco users. Differences between published studies limit the ability to make conclusive recommendations about interventions that should be incorporated into clinical practice.