Alcohol screening in dental patients: the prevalence of hazardous drinking and patients' attitudes about screening and advice.

Background: Because heavy drinking is a risk factor for oral cancer, dentists should screen patients for alcohol use. The authors investigated heavy drinking in dental patients and patients' attitudes about alcohol screening.

Methods: A convenience sample of 408 patients attending an emergency walk-in dental clinic served as subjects. Patients completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C (AUDIT-C), a three-item alcohol screening test, and an opinion survey regarding attitudes about the acceptability of alcohol screening and counseling by dentists.

Results: One in four patients had positive screening results for heavy alcohol use. The majority of subjects (> 75 percent) were in support of dentists' inquiries and advice about alcohol use. Age, sex and drinking status were not predictive of patients' opinions about alcohol screening.

Conclusions: One hundred three of the dental patients exhibited evidence of hazardous alcohol consumption, a risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer. The majority of patients reported that they would readily accept alcohol screening and alcohol counseling by dentists.

Clinical Implications: Because studies have shown that some dentists hesitate to screen for alcohol use because of a belief that screening is unacceptable to patients, these results may encourage a change in practice.