Determining what people know and believe about periodontal health and disease is important in order to establish prevention practices. This study aimed to assess knowledge of and attitudes towards periodontal health among adults in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. We conducted a cross-sectional face-to-face interview survey in 2011 of 791 adults aged 18-50 years using a stratified, multistage sampling method. We recorded demographic characteristics including age, sex, education, marital status, employment and economic status (housing density). The lowest percentage of correct answers was related to the definition of dental plaque (11.6%) and the highest was for the role of the dental visit in prevention (92.8%). Female sex, university education and higher economic status were significantly associated with a higher mean score on periodontal health knowledge. The regression analysis showed that positive attitudes were associated with higher periodontal health knowledge and having university education. In this study positive attitudes towards prevention were related to better knowledge.

The working profiles of dental hygienists in Finland and Norway were quite similar, although differences in distribution by activities, type of patients and treatment measures do exist. The main activity of the dental hygienists was clinical work. The most commonly practised clinical activity among Finnish dental hygienists was scaling, and among Norwegians, check-ups. Public dental hygienists in both countries dealt mainly with children and youths. Oral hygiene instruction was the most commonly reported treatment measure among both Finns and Norwegians.

A national survey was conducted to provide up-to-date data on current and ever use of tobacco among Iranian dental students. All 4th-year students of 8 randomly selected dental schools were surveyed anonymously in December 2010 using the Global Health Professions Student Survey questionnaire. Of 325 participants, 54.2% were ever users of tobacco products (73.0% of males versus 44.4% of females); 50.8% had used waterpipes, 34.2% cigarettes and 9.3% other products. The most common age at first use was 20-24 years for both sexes. Current tobacco use was reported by 20.6% of respondents, cigarette smoking by 10.8% and waterpipe smoking by 15.8%. Regression models showed that current cigarette and waterpipe smoking were significantly associated with male sex but not with type of dental school (state/private). Current waterpipe smoking was also associated with age at first experience. In view of the important role of dentists in tobacco control, the prevention of tobacco use should be stressed among Iranian dental students. Consommation de tabac des étudiants iraniens en odontologie: enquête nationaleRÉSUMÉ Une enquête nationale a été menée pour générer des données actualisées sur la consommation de tabac actuelle et passée des étudiants iraniens en odontologie. Tous les étudiants en quatrième année de huit écoles de médecine dentaire sélectionnées aléatoirement ont été interrogés de façon anonyme en décembre 2010 à l'aide du questionnaire de l'enquête mondiale auprès des étudiants des professions de la santé. Sur un total de 325 participants, 54,2 % avaient déjà utilisé des produits du tabac (73,0 % des hommes contre 44,4 % des femmes), 50,8 % avaient déjà utilisé des pipes à eau, 34,2 % avaient fumé des cigarettes et 9,2 % avaient consommé d'autres produits. L'âge le plus fréquent lors de la première consommation de tabac se situait entre 20 et 24 ans pour les deux sexes. Parmi les répondants, 20,6% ont déclaré consommer du tabac au moment de l'étude, 10,8 % et 15,8 % ont indiqué fumer des cigarettes et des pipes à eau respectivement. Selon des modèles de régression, la consommation de cigarettes et de pipes à eau au moment de l'étude était nettement associée au sexe masculin mais pas au statut public ou privé des écoles de médecine dentaire fréquentées. La consommation actuelle de pipe à eau était quant à elle associée à l'âge lors de la première expérience. Étant donné le rôle essentiel des dentistes dans la lutte contre le tabagisme, la prévention de la consommation de tabac devrait être mise en exergue auprès des étudiants iraniens en médecine dentaire. ‫ﺍﳌﺘﻮﺳﻂ‬ ‫ﻟﴩﻕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺼﺤﻴﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﳌﺠﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﻋﴩ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺘﺎﺳﻊ‬ ‫ﺍﳌﺠﻠﺪ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺜﺎﻣﻦ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺪﺩ‬ 705

The educators thought that the role of the dental hygienist and the evolving scope of dental practice were partly mismatched. A reassessment of stakeholder involvement in the development of training curricula is urgently needed.