Leveraging the US tobacco quitline infrastructure to promote oral health: Feedback from key stakeholders

摘要

Oral disease affects tens of millions of Americans. It results in unnecessary pain, physical disfigurement, and emotional suffering, and puts individuals at greater risk for morbidity and mortality (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Treating oral disease and preventing future disease are important public health goals.Tobacco users are an important target for oral health promotion efforts. Smokers are three-times as likely as non-smokers to have gum disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010) and have a higher prevalence of untreated tooth decay (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005). They are also less likely to visit the dentist (Bloom et al., 2012; Mucci and Brooks, 2001) and more likely to engage in other behaviors that increase their risk for oral disease, such as drinking alcohol (Falk et al., 2006; Kahler et al., 2008) and eating a poor diet (McClure et al., 2009). Nearly 20% of US adults are current smokers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).