Presentations 2020: Restorative

437 - Evaluating the delivery of Smoking Cessation Advice (SCA) on Restorative Consultant Clinics.

H Sapa M Thomas
Presented by: Hiral Sapa
Cardiff Dental Hospital

Introduction Smoking even 1 cigarette daily increases the risk of developing periodontitis by almost 50% (BSP, 2016). Restorative Clinics are receiving record numbers of periodontal treatment referrals. Increasing patient awareness of the relationship between smoking and periodontal diseases may help reduce incidence and disease progression amongst the population. NICE guidelines reinforce the responsibility of all healthcare professionals to document a patient’s smoking history and signpost them to NHS Stop Smoking Services, which in Wales, operates under the banner ‘Help Me Quit’. Aim To identify the proportion of cases in which: 1. Smoking status & history has been recorded 2. SCA provision has been recorded 3. Where appropriate, COFs (clinical outcome forms) had been used to refer to ‘Help Me Quit’. Method Prospective study analysing the clinical records and COFs of 52 new patients assessed in Restorative Clinics during December 2019; 100% of which should be offered SCA and a referral (if appropriate). Results Of the 52 new patients, 75% were non-smokers, 11.5% smokers and 13.5% ex-smokers. 100% of clinical records documented cigarettes smoked per day however, only 66.6% noted smoking duration. No patients reported smokeless tobacco use. SCA provision was documented in 2 cases, 1 of which the patient declined. 0 referrals were completed via COFs. Discussion Of the 11.5% of smokers, not all received SCA. Successful SCA provision by primary healthcare colleagues may have resulted in the higher number of ex-smokers. Barriers to SCA provision may include lack of confidence and recources, insufficient training, time pressures and low patient motivation. Junior staff may be unsure of the ‘Help Me Quit’ referral pathway and processes. Implementation of a hospital wide SCA policy, CPD and SCA posters may help us achieve better compliance with NICE guidelines by facilitating conversations between patients and staff about the ‘Help Me Quit’ programme.
Consent Statement: There are no details on individual patients reported within the abstract.

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