Tobacco education in UK dental schools: A survey of current practice

Objective To investigate the current provision of tobacco education (tobacco use and cessation), assessment and e‐cigarette education in UK dental and dental hygiene and therapy ( DHT ) undergraduate programmes. Materials and Methods The study was conducted using a self‐administered questionnaire sent to all UK institutions training dental and DHT students during the academic year 2015/2016. Results Twenty‐five programmes returned completed questionnaires (response rate 68%). All programmes (100%) reported delivering tobacco education, delivered by multiple individuals in 78% of the programmes. Assessment of the theoretical and practical aspects of tobacco education was reported in 80% and 72% of the programmes, respectively. More formal teaching time was devoted to the theoretical aspects (100% >2 hours) rather than the practical aspects (76% > 2 hours) of tobacco education. All programmes expected their graduates to be clinically competent at discussing the health consequences of smoking, deliver a brief smoking cessation intervention, and referring patients to stop smoking services. The use of the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training “Very Brief Advice” ( NCSCT VBA ) training package was reported to be mandatory in 36%, and recommended, in 44% of programmes. Specialised stop smoking services delivered teaching in 40% of both dental and DHT training programmes whilst another 40% reported previous input from specialist smoking cessation services but not in 2015/2016. Most programmes reported delivery of teaching on electronic cigarettes, with 12% delivering a standalone lecture on this topic. Conclusions Tobacco education is an important component of dental training. Dental education programmes should remain responsive to a rapidly changing field and fully utilise the available resources.