Efficacy of dental health advice as an aid to reducing cigarette smoking.

Ninety-eight cigarette smokers attending the Newcastle upon Tyne Dental Hospital, wishing to reduce their tobacco consumption, received smoking reduction advice in combination with dental health instruction and periodontal care. Those advised against smoking showed a greater reduction (P < 0.001) in reported cigarette consumption during treatment and follow-up, compared with 38 control subjects who received dental health instruction but no advice against smoking. Fifty percent of intervention subjects reported reducing to half or less than half of their initial cigarette consumption, compared with 24% for controls. Eighty percent of those advised against smoking reported some reduction, against 29% for controls. The reported smoking cessation rate in the intervention group was 13.3%, compared with 5.3% in the control subjects. The results indicate that advice against smoking combined with dental health instruction and periodontal care can be an effective aid to reducing tobacco consumption.