Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the smoking habits and attitudes of council members of the Japanese Society of Periodontology, a non-profit organization. The questionnaire was mailed to 231 council members, all of whom are dentists. Sixty-three percent (145) of the surveys were completed and returned. Seventy-four percent of the surveys were completed by council members in their 40s and 50s. Sixty-eight percent of the council members were university staff, 25% were practitioners, 4% were dental office employees, and 3% worked in other dental related fields. Thirteen percent of the council members claimed that they are current smokers, 39% claimed they are former smokers, and 48% claimed they have never smoked. Ninety percent of the council members replied that a nicotine addiction is detrimental to health. Most of them understood that smoking is the primary cause of many diseases, while 94% understood the detrimental consequences of smoking with regard to periodontitis. More than 80% agreed that smoking cessation education is a dentist’s responsibility. Notably, 43% felt that they did not have enough knowledge pertaining to smoking cessation education. A majority (79%) agreed that periodontists should be required to be non-smokers. About half of the clinicians responded that they are aware of their patients’smoking habits. Those clinicians who were aware of patient smoking habits had acquired the information during the patient’s first visit. Eighty percent indicated that many patients who have serious periodontitis are smokers, and 88% stated that smokers do not heal well.
The above results indicate that smoking is recognized as having a detrimental effect on periodontitis by the group from whom responses were received, and that the current smoking rate is relatively low.
Furthermore, they recognize the need for providing smoking cessation guidance to periodontitis patients, suggesting also that peridontists may lack sufficient knowledge in order to educate their patients.
