Cigarette Smoking And Oral Health Among Healthcare Students

Abstract

Background:The knowledge, attitudes and practices of cigarette smoking and health risks among health workers has been found to be predictive of their efficiency as agents for tobacco cessation campaigns. Objective: To describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of cigarette smoking and oral health risks among healthcare professional students. Design: A cross sectional multi-level study. Setting: College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi. Subjects: Two hundred and eighty one students. Results: Thirty four (12.1%) of the students were current smokers, 174 (61.95%) had never smoked, while 73 (26%) were former smokers. Seventy nine point four per cent of the current smokers were males and 20.6% were females. Pharmacy students had the highest smoking prevalence at 11 (32.4%), while dental and nursing students had the lowest percentages of current smokers. Differences observed in smoking status of students in the constituent schools of the College of Health Sciences were statistically significant (p = 0.008). Apart from knowledge levels on the association between tobacco consumption and lung cancer (p = 0.142), there were statistically significant differences in the awareness of the severe oral and systemic effects of smoking amongst the four student groups. Conclusions: There is a need for harmonisation of teaching of oral and systemic effects of smoking so as to impact on the smoking habits and effectiveness of healthcare professional students as agents of smoking cessation programmes.

Cigarette smoking and Awareness of Oral Health Problems of Tobacco use among Students at the University of Port Harcourt, South-South Nigeria

“…This is com parable to the results obtained by Komu et al, 5 in their study among healthcare students reported 62.5% commencing smoking before entering the university. Oladele et al 19 and Fawibe and Shittu 14 in their studies reported that over 80% of students started smoking before their 18th birthday, this coincided with their secondary school age.…”

“…In developing countries, 7% of women and 48% of men smoke, the situation is different in developed countries, where 24% of women smoke as compared to 42% of men. 2 The effects of smoking on oral tissues include reduced taste perception, staining of teeth, palatal keratosis, melanosis, oral candidiasis, 5 halitosis and dental caries.…”

“…69 Tobacco smoking particularly in the form of cigarette is an important environmental risk factor in periodontitis, oral cancers and precancers. 5,10 It also has an adverse effect on almost all forms of periodontal therapy and increases the severity of periodontal disease. 5 The complication of smoking in pregnancy includes premature deliveries, low birth weight, spontaneous abortion and perinatal mortality.…”

“…The finding of this study is consistent with a previous study that reported that knowledge about health risks does not necessary act as a deterrent to smoking. 5 Tobacco smoking mostly in the form of cigarettes is known as the most important environmental risk factor in periodontitis, oral cancers and precancers. 5,10 It also has an adverse effect on almost all forms of periodontal therapy and increases the severity of periodontal disease.…”

“…5 Tobacco smoking mostly in the form of cigarettes is known as the most important environmental risk factor in periodontitis, oral cancers and precancers. 5,10 It also has an adverse effect on almost all forms of periodontal therapy and increases the severity of periodontal disease. 5 In the present study, majority 72.8, 61.9 and 77.2% were ignorant that smoking could affect negatively on oral health, cause oral cancers and gum disease respectively.…”