Dental residents' knowledge, perceptions and confidence of screening for and educating patients about alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use

Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use (ATOD) are three leading causes of preventable morbidity and premature mortality in the United States; however, their effects on oral health are largely neglected in discussions of the public health impact of substance abuse. ATOD misuse contributes to a wide range of damage within the craniofacial complex. Despite the serious implications that ATOD use has on oral health, current literature suggests that dental providers do not routinely screen their patients for ATOD use. A self-administered questionnaire was given to dental residents (n=23) at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Questions explored dental residents' knowledge, perceptions, and confidence levels of asking and educating patients about their substance use. Thirty-five percent were unable to identify a person in their clinic who screens for health risks behaviors. Fifty-four percent of residents report always educating their patients about smoking. For alcohol, 59% routinely provide advice and education, while 36% sometimes do, and 5% never discuss alcohol as a risk behavior. Dental residents are least comfortable discussing illicit drug use, with 36% providing education sometimes, and 23% reporting never addressing the issue. Building confidence and increasing the frequency of screening for health risk behaviors by dental residents is important because of their ability to serve as frontline public health providers and to help reduce preventable morbidity associated with substance use. After the implementation of an educational seminar, changes in dental residents' knowledge, perceptions, and confidence levels in asking and educating their patients about ATOD will be assessed and reported.