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Introduction: Tobacco use remains the single largest cause of premature death around the world. Motivating tobacco users through behavioral counseling is the mainstay for achieving tobacco abstinence. Research evidence suggests a larger role of dental professionals in motivating tobacco users to quit. The efforts of private dental practitioners in providing Tobacco Cessation Interventions (TCI) in their clinics need to be measured and acknowledged.Methods: A cross-sectional survey based on self-administered questionnaire with private dental practitioners was carried out in the state of Delhi, India. The main objectives of the survey were to assess the current practices and the barriers experienced in providing TCI by the participating dentists. Statistical analysis was conducted to find out the association between independent variables and the responses to questions on tobacco cessation.Results: The mean age and years of practice of 297 participating dentists was 37.2 (SD 9.8) and 11.9 (SD 9.5) years respectively. Most of them were graduate (N=204, 68.7%). Only 17.2% (N=51) of the participating dentists had undergone any training in providing TCI. Most of the dentists felt that the lack of proper training (N=146, 49.2%) and resistance by patients (N=185, 62.5%) are the main barriers in providing TCI. Younger dentists (<35 years) performed significantly better than older dentists in many parameters pertaining to attitude and practices of TCI in their clinics.Conclusion: This is a pioneer survey conducted on the issue of TCI provided by private dental practitioners of Delhi. The study results show that around 2/3rds of the participating private dental practitioners were providing TCI to their patients but there are certain barriers for its proper implementation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to remove these self-reported barriers and build self-confidence among the dentists for instituting effective TCI in their clinics.

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Problem Human resources in the public health sector is of prime importance in a limited resource setting country, who at times work in a high-pressure, limited resource environment and where skilled staff continue to remain in short supply. The role of Human Resource for Health (HRH) team responsible for managing this health workforce is crucial. They play an important role in improving the human resource practices and creating an enabling organizational culture for optimal resource utilization. The paper explores the profile of the HRH teams of the states of India, their knowledge levels, and perceptions of their role. Methods The participants were HR Managers from 29 states of India who look after HRH in National Health Mission and State Health Departments. Cross-sectional survey tool was used for data collection. Quantitative data analysis included univariate and bivariate analysis. One Way ANOVA test of significance and post-hoc tests using Tukey's method was used to ascertain the groups with significant difference. Results Most of the HRH team members are postgraduates or have management background. Their experience varies from &lt;1year to &gt; 25 years. Mostly of them perceive their role to be limited to implementing bare essential HRM practices, mostly administrative. The educational qualification of the members did not have any significant bearing on their technical knowledge related to HRM practices; but their experience in public health sector showed a significant association. Lessons This study lends evidence to the principle that professionals who have been in the system for long, know about HRH and the associated policies better, and hence may be better equipped to handle HRH and establish good HR Management (HRM) systems. Better role clarity among the HRH teams, expansion of their current scope of work to include advanced practices of HRM and continuous capacity building mechanisms are needed to help strengthen the development and management of HRH. Key messages This study, a first of its kind in the country, lend evidence related to the principle for deciding the profile of team who should be entrusted with managing and development of HRH. The Study gives evidence to focus on the role clarity of HRH to zero down their knowledge and skills gaps and enhance their competencies through better capacity building.

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