Ask, advise and act – No Smoking Day

All dental practices should embrace the ‘making every contact count’ healthcare principle by conducting oral health checks on each and every patient and engaging those who do smoke in a discussion about the associated serious health risks. As dental professionals, you know only too well that cigarettes are highly addictive and harmful to the person who smokes, as well as the people around them. This month (13 March), No Smoking Day aims to bring awareness to the dangers of this addiction. The day also places the spotlight on the resources available to help people quit.

No Smoking Day launched in 1984 and has grown in size and scope ever since. Over time, it has become very clear how terribly dangerous smoking is, with toxins in them that cause many different forms of cancer – from the mouth to the lungs. What is also important to know is that while it may be a personal choice to smoke or not, when one smokes near another person, the second-hand smoke is just as dangerous to them.