The Manhattan Tobacco Cessation Program at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine has developed a tool kit for dental practitioners who want to help their patients stop smoking.
The tool kit, already at use in NYU College of Dentistry's teaching clinics, will be distributed to dental professionals in New York state and nationwide. It provides concise steps and procedures for treating tobacco use in the dental setting. Available as a PDF, the tool kit can be accessed online or printed, and kept on hand for use in the dental practice.
Use of the tool kit for dental providers in the College of Dentistry's clinics has resulted in favorable smoking cessation outcomes in the past three years, the university noted. In one clinic, the smoking rate decreased from 21% in 2008 to 12% in 2011. In addition, the assist rate, which was the percentage of smoking patients who received a prescription to quit from their clinician, began at 5% in 2008 and reached its peak at 58% in 2011.
