Do smoking cessation activities as part of oral health promotion vary between dental care providers relative to the NHS/private treatment mix offered? A study in West Yorkshire.

Objective: To determine whether or not and to what extent health promotion and smoking cessation activities varied between dental practices relative to their National Health Service (NHS)/private treatment mix.

Methods: A piloted questionnaire was posted to all dental practitioners within West Yorkshire, with two follow-up mailings.

Results: The response rate was 50% (386/769) of dental practitioners within West Yorkshire.

Inequalities in health and oral health in the UK.

Unlabelled: New legislation is increasingly recognizing that addressing diversity is a crucial issue, in order that the health and social service needs of the whole population can be better met by equitable access, experience, and outcome. This paper aims to: describe the evolution of the UK inequalities agenda together with some of the governmental responses; consider aspects of oral and general health in this context; and reflect on the implications for general dental practice.

Clinical Relevance: Practitioners should be aware of the patient's background--social, physical and mental--as these can all impact on that person's oral and general health status, as well as his/her norms and values.

Cultural aspects of tobacco use.

Unlabelled: Tobacco is used worldwide, but culture shapes the specific methods and patterns of its use, with implications for uptake, continuation and cessation. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the range of tobacco use which occurs worldwide, in the context of cultural and social norms. Many of these practices are relevant to the U.

Obtaining informed consent for children receiving dental care: a pilot study.

Aim: To explore the outcome of the consent process with parents/carers of children of different ethnic minority backgrounds in a primary care salaried dental service setting.

Materials And Methods: One hundred parents of children were recruited to the study. The sample was balanced by ethnicity (White and Pakistani) and type of care (routine and general anaesthesia [GA]).

A comparison of attitudes and practices of gutka users and non-users in Chitrakoot, India. A pilot.

Aims And Objectives: As part of a student elective, this pilot study aimed at investigating attitudes and practices concerning gutka use in a town in India. It was hoped that information gained would assist in formulating an appropriate health education programme to encourage gutka cessation locally and would provide more information about a habit which is also relevant to some UK South Asian populations.

Design And Setting: 124 consecutively attending subjects (103 males and 21 females) at a charity-run dental clinic in Chitrakoot, India, were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire.