Biomaterial Database

Attitudes and smoking habits of dentists in Victoria: 16 years on. 1994

R Mullins

Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria.

In 1977 a survey of Victorian dentists measured their smoking prevalence, and their attitudes to dealing with patients who smoked. In 1993 these questions were repeated as part of a telephone survey of Victorian dentists. From 1977 to 1993 their prevalence of daily smoking had dropped from 30 per cent to 6 per cent, and this was not attributable simply to an influx of younger dentists who had never smoked. Many of those who had graduated in 1977 or more recently had never smoked, but many of the earlier graduates had quit, and there was no difference in the current smoking prevalence of the two groups. There had also been a change in dentists' attitudes towards smoking patients, with more of the 1993 sample (55 per cent) than the 1977 sample (43 per cent) agreeing with the statement 'I encourage all my patients to give up smoking wherever possible'. Again, the more experienced dentists were adopting the new behaviours, not just the more recent graduates. Even so, in 1993 nearly half the dentists waited until the patient either was affected by smoking, or asked for advice before raising the issue.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D011364	Professional Practice	The use of one's knowledge in a particular profession. It includes, in the case of the field of biomedicine, professional activities related to health care and the actual performance of the duties related to the provision of health care.	Practice, Professional,Practices, Professional,Professional Practices
D003812	Dentist-Patient Relations	The psychological relations between the dentist and patient.	Dentist-Patient Relationship,Dentist Patient Relations,Dentist Patient Relationship,Dentist-Patient Relation,Dentist-Patient Relationships,Relation, Dentist-Patient,Relations, Dentist-Patient,Relationship, Dentist-Patient,Relationships, Dentist-Patient
D003815	Dentists	Individuals licensed to practice DENTISTRY.	Dentists, Pediatric,Dentists, Prosthetic,Dentists, Restorative,Periodontists,Prosthodontists,Dentist,Dentist, Pediatric,Dentist, Prosthetic,Dentist, Restorative,Pediatric Dentist,Pediatric Dentists,Periodontist,Prosthetic Dentist,Prosthetic Dentists,Prosthodontist,Restorative Dentist,Restorative Dentists
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000367	Age Factors	Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time.	Age Reporting,Age Factor,Factor, Age,Factors, Age
D001291	Attitude of Health Personnel	Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.	Staff Attitude,Attitude, Staff,Attitudes, Staff,Health Personnel Attitude,Health Personnel Attitudes,Staff Attitudes
D001294	Attitude to Health	Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system.	Health Attitude,Attitude, Health,Attitudes, Health,Health Attitudes,Health, Attitude to
D012907	Smoking	Willful or deliberate act of inhaling and exhaling SMOKE from burning substances or agents held by hand.	Smoking Behaviors,Smoking Habit,Behavior, Smoking,Behaviors, Smoking,Habit, Smoking,Habits, Smoking,Smoking Behavior,Smoking Habits