Addressing Tobacco in Managed Care: A Survey of Dentists' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors
David Albert, DDS, MPH,
Angela Ward, BA, RDH,
Kavita Ahluwalia, DDS, MPH and
Donald Sadowsky, DDS, MPH, PhD
The authors are with the Division of Community Health, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, New York, NY. David Albert is also with the Division of Health Administration, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and Donald Sadowsky is also with the Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Donald Sadowsky, DDS, MPH, PhD, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, Division of Community Health, 630 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032 (e-mail: ds8{at}columbia.edu).
Objectives. This study assessed the tobacco cessation knowledge,attitudes, and behaviors of dentists participating in a largemanaged care dental plan.
Methods. Participating dentists in 4 states were surveyed viamail.
Results. Dentists' perceived success in helping patients quitusing tobacco was highly correlated with discussion of specificstrategies for quitting, advice about the use of nicotine gum,and time spent counseling patients. Dentists who were confidentabout their smoking cessation knowledge frequently advised patientsto quit and spent more time counseling patients about tobaccocessation.
Conclusions. Tobacco cessation is not a routine part of dentalpractice. Knowledge, time spent counseling patients, and specificstrategies for quitting were associated with dentists' perceptionsof success. (Am J Public Health. 2002;92:9971001)
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