Smoking habits of outpatients at the dental hospital faculty of dentistry universitas Indonesia

Smoking habits can harm a country's economy and public health and lead to deviant behavior. Dentists have the potential to influence smoking cessation. This study investigated the number of outpatients at the Dental Hospital Faculty of Dentistry Universitas Indonesia (RSKGM FKG UI) who smoked, number of years spent smoking, age they began smoking, type of cigarettes consumed, patients' experience regarding the dentist's role in controlling cigarette consumption, and patients' knowledge about the relationship between smoking habits and drug addiction. From 136 respondents, there were 20 (14.7%) smokers and 18 (13.2%) ex-smokers from various genders, age groups, education status, and economic status. These smokers and ex-smokers mostly used white cigarettes, started smoking between the ages 16 and 20 years, had smoked for >11 years, consumed 11-20 cigarettes per day for 1-5 min per cigarette, and did not use any other form of tobacco other than cigarettes. Most and ex-smokers had visited a dentist during their smoking life and were given advice and information regarding the dangers of smoking. However, 60.5% of smokers and ex-smokers stated that they were not given smoking cessation counseling, and 34.5% did not acknowledge the relationship between smoking habits and drug addiction.