Categories

Volume 9 Issue 1 (January, 2021)

Original Articles

Knowledge and awareness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy among dental professionals in India
Dr. Shipra Sepolia, Dr. Saakshi Gulati

Background: Consumption of tobacco is very hazardous to the general physical and oral health. Its use has been linked with a variety of respiratory diseases, cardio-vascular disorders along with various neurological symptoms. Its usage leads to deterioration of oral and dental health by the quickening of disease severity and progression specially, the periodontal diseases. Despite a subject’s willingness, it is impossible for most to quit its usage mainly due to lack of encouragement and moral support. In this perspective, dental health‑care professionals play a key role towards motivation and advising tobacco users to quit the habit. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and awareness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy among dental professionals in India. Materials and methods: A total of 300 dental practitioners participated in this cross-sectional descriptive questionnaire-based study. The study questionnaire was mailed through electronic mail. Statistical analysis was performed by using descriptive statistics. The collected data was assessed through sing the Fisher’s exact test and a P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 56.1 % of study subjects possessed knowledge pertaining to tobacco cessation using the Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Out of these, 56.2 % of dentists demonstrated good attitude while only 28.9 % of dental practitioners actually prescribed this therapy in their routine clinical dental practice. Conclusion: Most of the studied dental practitioners were found to have an adequate knowledge of Nicotine Replacement Therapy. However, only few were actively seen to practice this treatment modality. Keywords: Nicotine, replacement, tobacco, cessation, therapy, dentists.

 
Html View | Download PDF | Current Issue