This project will enhance tobacco cessation education and practice in dental students and by extension their behavior in practice following graduation. Faculty at the dental schools in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio will work together to develop a comprehensive tobacco education and cessation curriculum which will be presented to dental students in the second year of their training. Additionally a tobacco history form will be integrated into the electronic patient record system, to be completed for every patient receiving dental treatment who uses tobacco or who has done so in the past 60 days.

The recruitment and education of faculty willing to reinforce tobacco cessation in clinical prac...

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This project will enhance tobacco cessation education and practice in dental students and by extension their behavior in practice following graduation. Faculty at the dental schools in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio will work together to develop a comprehensive tobacco education and cessation curriculum which will be presented to dental students in the second year of their training. Additionally a tobacco history form will be integrated into the electronic patient record system, to be completed for every patient receiving dental treatment who uses tobacco or who has done so in the past 60 days.

The recruitment and education of faculty willing to reinforce tobacco cessation in clinical practice during the third and fourth years of dental school is essential to insuring that graduates incorporate this into their practice after dental school. A dedicated website will offer additional resources and provide a forum for feedback from faculty and students.

The success of these activities will be evaluated by a survey of participating students, and in focus groups conducted with faculty and students. This plan will result in a population of 300 new practicing dentists each year who are better equipped to practice tobacco cessation, improve oral health and decrease the morbidity and mortality from all tobacco-attributable cancers. Continuation of the faculty collaboration and the educational plan will create a new generation of Texas dentists prepared to provide tobacco intervention for patients in their dental practice.

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