Kunal Oswal and Ashok Dhoble
Background: Tobacco use remains the world’s leading preventable cause of premature morbidity and mortality. In every nook and corner of a street of India today you have many tobacco selling vendors both smoke and smokeless forms which makes it easily accessible to tobacco consumers to have it. Tobacco industries have been marketing their product strategically targeting specifically to women’s, youth, adults and special vulnerable groups. In comparison to the tobacco selling outlets there was lack of tobacco cessation centers in India. Methodology: The tobacco intervention initiative was launched in 2009 by Indian dental association (IDA). Post its launch those dentists interested in cessation from all over the country were trained. A special two day programme was planned. A website was also developed serving as a resource for the patients, dentist and dental students. Brief interventions, self-help materials, and nicotine replacement therapy for established nicotine dependence form the mainstay of therapy which is made available through a specially designed tool-kit. A web based resource is also provided to the Dentists are trained to document all the information obtained during one on one counselling and subsequent follow-up. Results: Till date about 1036 dentists across the country has already being trained and they are actively practicing tobacco cessation in their clinics. Also these dentists are master’s trainers, as they provide further training to newer graduates and dentists. Conclusions: In the last 5 years the number of dentists enrolling for such programs was on the rise. Such initiative by IDA has definitely assisted a lot of patients to relinquish this routine. The task ahead is to maximize this potential of dentist and make such centre more easily available to the patients.
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