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Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Got you ... if you are a smoker and you end up on the dentist chair, be prepared to listen to more than just dental advice.
More than 2,600 dentists nationwide have been roped in to assist in the campaign to talk smokers out of smoking.
Their key message: “Don’t stain your teeth, fight gum disease, bad breath and stay away from cancer.”
The Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) launched a smoking cessation programme last week for dental practitioners across the nation to help and motivate patients to quit smoking as part of their oral health care.
So far, more than 100 dentists have already attended the Certified Smoking Cessation Service Provider (CSCSP) programme organised by the Health Ministry.
MDA president Dr Shubon Sinha Roy said the programme encouraged dentists to attend the course at anti-smoking clinics located around the country.
“We want to equip these dentists with background information on how to go about counselling smokers on the dangers of smoking,” he said.
Each year, around 10,000 Malaysians die as a result of heart disease, cancer, stroke and other numerous diseases that are believed to have a causal link to smoking. And oral cancer is one of the most common cancers.
The oral health effects of tobacco, in particular, are still largely ignored. They range from harmless staining of teeth to more severe periodontal disease (gum deterioration) threatening the loss of teeth.
“MDA hopes to make a positive impact on oral healthcare of the public by encouraging dental practitioners to help smokers quit,” said Dr Shubon.
He said dentists came across hundreds of patients with tobacco-related diseases and they were ideally positioned to provide brief and intensive intervention for smoking cessation.
He urged all dentists to enrol in the programme and to expand it into their clinical practices.
MDA’s objective for this year is to further establish dental practitioners as advocates of smoking cessation and to place dental hygiene on the frontline of smoking intervention.
The MDA-CSCSP programme primarily involves education and counselling which uses the 5As Approach (Ask, Advice, Assess, Assist, Arrange) and NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) as a safe and effective aid to help dental patients quit smoking.
“NRT helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms, which come as a result of a physical dependence on nicotine,” said Dr Shubon adding that MDA worked closely with the Health Ministry in getting smokers to kick the habit.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said dentists joining the programme could help smokers to quit.
“The MDA-CSCSP Programme should be a model for more smoking-cessation activities.
“Patients should stop smoking and to prevent the onset of smoking related diseases that will destroy their lives and that of their loved ones.”