Current status of smoking cessation support and associated factors among members of the Japanese Society of Periodontology

We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey of members of the Japanese Society of Periodontology in 2022 to determine their smoking status and factors associated with their provision of smoking cessation support to their patients. The responses of 1,396 respondents (corresponding to a response rate of 11.2%) were analyzed. Of the respondents, 945 (67.7%) were non-smokers, 414 (29.6%) were former smokers, and 37 (2.7%) were current smokers. Of the current smokers, 13 (35.1%) were exclusively cigarette smokers, 15 (40.5%) exclusively used heated tobacco products (HTPs), and one (2.7%) smoked a water pipe; of the remaining smokers, 4 were dual users of cigarettes and HTPs, 3 were dual-type HTP users, and one smoked both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Of the participants, 240 (18.3%) consistently provided smoking cessation support to their patients with periodontal disease, whereas 656 (50.1%) did so only when they felt it was necessary. Three factors were significantly associated with the dentists providing smoking cessation support (P < 0.05): age ≥ 50 years, score on the Kano Test for Social Nicotine Dependence of ≤ 9, and awareness of the relationship between smoking and severe periodontal disease. Among dental hygienists, there were no statistically significant factors associated with the provision of support to patients for smoking cessation. Hence, dentists were more likely to provide support for smoking cessation, but only when they were aware of the impact of smoking. It is therefore necessary to disseminate correct knowledge and awareness among dental practitioners about the need to provide smoking cessation support to their patients and to create an environment that facilitates provision of smoking cessation support by dental practitioners and their staff.