Factors affecting adoption of tobacco education in dental hygiene programs.

Background: Tobacco cessation interventions provided by health care professionals, including dental hygienists can significantly increase the rate of tobacco cessation, yet providers feel inadequately prepared to deliver such interventions.

Methods: 96 dental hygiene faculty completed a survey measuring attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control to determine their influence on teaching and assessing tobacco cessation intervention competencies.

Results: Prior experience with providing tobacco cessation counseling, perceptions of internal confidence and control of barriers were significantly related to covering tobacco-related topics.

Conclusion: Comprehensive, flexible tobacco education curriculum guides may help faculty overcome barriers to incorporating tobacco education in dental hygiene programs.