Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 2

“We were reading reports that people who smoke or vape have an increased susceptibility to COVID and are more likely to have a co-morbidity and therefore are more at risk of severe illness from COVID,” says Dr. Purnima Kumar, a member of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs’ ACE Panel Oversight Committee. “As well, we’d seen that the incidence of smoking peaks during a global crisis.” Dr. Kumar believes that caring for oral health must include treating a patient as a whole person. “Health problems are caused by a myriad of factors such as socioeconomic situation, behaviour, and genotype, to name only a few,” she says. “As dentists, we have a duty to our patients to care for them as people, not just teeth.” Treating gum disease without talking about smoking cessation with a patient is like “shoveling while it is still snowing,” says Dr. Kumar. The ADA survey was distributed in May 2021 and 982 dentists participated. Results showed that 41% of respondents provided smoking cessation counseling, 8% offered counseling and treatment, and 1% offered treatment only. Among respondents, 69% would prescribe pharmacologic agents to help with smoking, vaping and smokeless tobacco cessation if they had prescribing privileges. Eighty-two percent of respondents perform surgery on patients who smoke, vape or use smokeless tobacco, and among that group 45% request that patients alter their use of these products. Only 50% of respondents would perform or recommend surgical implant placement to patients who smoke, vape or use smokeless tobacco. Dr. Kumar was impressed that somany of her colleagues counsel patients about smoking cessation. “It takes time and energy to do this work,” she says. “And we found that often many different team members were doing it, including dental assistants and dental hygienists.” Many respondents wanted access to more resources. “They wanted to know where to send patients to help them quit,” says Dr. Kumar. “Quitting is a process and often requires additional supports such as therapy and prescription medication.” She also says that although Smoking is a complicated behaviour with many emotional and psychological aspects, and creating change is also very complex and difficult.More formal training on how to talk to patients about it would be useful. 26 | 2022 | Issue 2 News and Events