Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Public Health Dentistry, JSS Dental College and Hospital, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, JSS Medical Institutions Campus, SS Nagar, Mysore, Karnataka, India
  • 2 Department of Community Medicine, Believers Church Medical College and Hospital, Saint Thomas Nagar, Kuttapuzha, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
  • 3 Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, JSS Dental College and Hospital, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, JSS Medical Institutions Campus, SS Nagar, Mysore, Karnataka, India
  • 4 Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, JSS Dental College and Hospital, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, JSS Medical Institutions Campus, SS Nagar, Mysore, Karnataka, India
  • 5 Department of Microbiology, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Campus), Manipal, Udupi (district), Karnataka, India
  • 6 Department of Community Medicine, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Indian J Cancer, 2024 Apr 01;61(2):230-237.
PMID: 38155453 DOI: 10.4103/ijc.ijc_405_21

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use has emerged as a major public health issue with increasing tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Despite evidence that even brief tobacco counseling by health care professionals is effective in motivating a tobacco user to quit, there was a lack of customized tobacco counseling training module (TCTM) for students of dentistry in their existing curriculum. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a customized TCTM in improving KAASS in tobacco counseling among undergraduate dental students.

METHODS: TCTM that was previously pilot tested was implemented as a value addition in Public Health Dentistry for two academic years. Changes in knowledge, attitude, ability to identify oral manifestations, self-confidence, and skills (KAASS) in tobacco counseling were assessed before and after implementation of TCTM. Mean pre and post intervention scores were compared.

RESULTS: Mean scores for knowledge, attitude, ability to identify oral manifestations, and self-confidence (KAAS) at baseline were 4.4 ± 0.9, 5.1 ± 0.7, 4.5 ± 1.1, and 1.3 ± 0.4, respectively. Mean KAAS scores post intervention were 13.5 ± 1.0, 8.7 ± 0.4, 9.4 ± 0.7, and 3.5 ± 0.5, respectively. There was a significant improvement in the mean KAAS score post intervention compared to baseline. Tobacco counseling skills also significantly improved among the participants following implementation of the training module (68.8%) did well compared to the baseline (0%).

CONCLUSION: TCTM was effective in enhancing knowledge, attitude, ability to identify oral manifestations, and self-confidence in tobacco counseling among undergraduate dental students.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.