The impact of smoking on the body’s wellness is well-documented: smoking is simply bad for the body from head to toe. And smoking has an especially detrimental impact on oral health.

New research out of Ohio State University, however, reveals that not all health care practitioners are urging patients to quit. The data indicate that while half of current smokers reported receiving advice to quit smoking from a health care practitioner, only 1 in 10 smokers who visited a dentist received advice to quit. Receipt of advice was associated with sex, age, race, marital status, region, type of health insurance, quit attempts in the previous 12 months, and extent of tobacco use.

While it appears that many dentists are staying quiet with their advice to quit, Dr. Tiffany Shields and the team at Smiles by Shields urge you to think of your dental health and total body wellness and to begin a tobacco cessation program today.

Reference:

CDC. “Only 1 in 10 smokers who visited a dentist received advice to quit.” Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/280374.php.