Barriers Limiting Active Involvement of Iranian Senior Dental Students in Tobacco Cessation Program

Dentists can play an important role in the cessation of tobacco use which is known as the leading preventable cause of death in the world. The aim of this study was to assess the barriers that limit the active involvement of Iranian senior dental students in tobacco cessation program. In this cross sectional descriptive study, we used stratified cluster random sampling to obtain a representative sample of 335 subjects from 11 dental schools in Iran. They filled out a two page questionnaire which contained questions regarding demographics including age, sex, smoking status and average of their practice activity per week, knowledge and attitude towards tobacco cassation counseling in dental settings and the barriers limiting the application of tobacco cessation counseling methods. Having good knowledge about tobacco cessation programs, positively influences the attitudes of students toward application of these programs in the dental setting (P<0.004). Patients’ resistance to advice, lack of supportive organizations in developing tobacco cessation services and training facilities for tobacco cessation in dental settings and the preference of providing dental treatments rather than tobacco cessation were the most important barriers from the point of view of the participants in this study. Regarding two of the barriers, the point of view of male and female study subjects had statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Considering the positive attitude of Iranian senior dental students toward participation in tobacco counseling cessation programs and shortage of their knowledge regarding tobacco cessation protocols; a good instruction program and removing the perceived barriers in implementing these programs might enhance dentists’ role in helping tobacco users quit.