2nd European Workshop on Tobacco use Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals

Synergies in Oral Health Care: Health Behavior Change for Tobacco Control and Oral Hygiene

Saturday, August 30 through Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Hotel International
&
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia

Introduction

Behavior modifications for the improvement of oral hygiene, tobacco use cessation, and managing a healthy diet are the main areas where a change of the patient’s behavior is shown to be successful in preventing and treating oral diseases. Health behavioral change support has thus become an increasingly important topic in the areas of public health, clinical practice, dental education, and oral health research.

In 2005, it was proven to be most timely to invite dental and dental hygiene educators, scientists in the dental community, and experts in public health to attend the 1st European Workshop on Tobacco Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals. Thirty-eight experts from eleven European countries and the U.S.A. were invited to the venue in the medieval castle of Munchenwiler, Canton of Berne, Switzerland.

1st European Workshop 2005

While focusing on evidence based tobacco use prevention and cessation for oral health professionals, the main achievements of the 2005 workshop were:

• a review of public health approaches in tobacco control, and the definition of the dental professional’s role within these activities,

• a review of current paradigms and evidence based approaches of effective tobacco use prevention and cessation in the dental practice,

• an update of recommendations for both education and assessment of tobacco use prevention and cessation skills, and

• the foundation of the Oral Health network on Tobacco use Prevention and Cessation for knowledge exchange and quality control.

The outcome of the 2005 workshop included a consensus report based on the position papers of the five working groups as well as a tobacco use cessation care pathway. This care pathway diagram for tobacco use prevention and cessation activity in dental practice suggested a model based on the best available evidence, while acknowledging the practical constraints of the dental office.

The 2005 workshop proceedings were published in the March 2006 issue of the journal Oral Health and Preventive Dentistry (OHPD) with its following content:

• Consensus report: First European Workshop on Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals.  Ramseier CA, Mattheos N, Needleman I, Watt R, Wickholm S. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2006;4(1):7-18.

• Public health aspects of tobacco control: setting the agenda for action by oral health professions across Europe.  Watt RG, Benzian H, Binnie V, Gafner C, Hovius M, Newton TJ, Mecklenburg RE. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2006;4(1):19-26.

• Evaluation of tobacco use cessation (TUC) counselling in the dental office.  Needleman I, Warnakulasuriya S, Sutherland G, Bornstein MM, Casals E, Dietrich T, Suvan J. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2006;4(1):27-47.

• Tobacco use prevention and cessation in dental and dental hygiene undergraduate education.  Ramseier CA, Christen A, McGowan J, McCartan B, Minenna L, Ohrn K, Walter C. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2006;4(1):49-60.

• Continuing education of tobacco use cessation (TUC) for dentists and dental hygienists.  Wickholm S, McEwen A, Fried J, Janda M, Knevel R, Ladrach E, Persson L. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2006;4(1):61-70.

• Assessing behavioural change support abilities of the oral healthcare team.  Mattheos N, Attstrom R, Fundak A, Knutsson K, Padrutt S, Polychronopoulou A, Schoonheim-Klein M, Saxer UP. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2006;4(1):71-7.

In the summer of 2006, this issue was distributed to over 390 dental schools and dental hygiene programs in Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the workshop consensus report and the care pathway were made available for download on the internet at www.tobacco-oralhealth.net and presented at numerous national and international conferences.

2nd European Workshop 2008

Following the 1st European Workshop in 2005, activities in the field have grown in all areas of education, practice implementation and clinical research. Over the past two years, further experience and knowledge have revealed again new issues and challenges that need to be addressed.

Given that the 1st workshop was able to successfully approach and answer a number of focus questions, the same schedule will be followed in 2008. The location of the 2nd workshop in Zagreb, Croatia has been purposefully scheduled from August 30 – September 2, 2008, to correspond with the subsequent 34th Annual Meeting of the Association of Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) September 3 – 6, 2008.

In 2008, an emphasis will be again on (1) using evidence-based approaches, (2) exchanging knowledge and experience, (3) suggesting further research, and (4) networking with attendees and colleagues in the field. For the 2nd workshop, the main aims will be the following:

1. Review the current evidence of tobacco use related oral diseases
   Tobacco use related diseases are the result of a myriad of complex interactions in the human body. Recent findings from oral health research have revealed new insights into epidemiology, etiology, and pathogenesis of oral diseases. The 2nd workshop aims to review the current evidence of tobacco use related oral diseases within the context of oral health care management.

2. Review current tobacco use culture in European and other countries
   Tobacco use across the globe is influenced by many factors such as the variety of tobacco products used, regional traditions, advertising, social pressure, public smoking bans, health issues, etc. The 2nd workshop aims to review the interplay of these factors and the role of the dental team in supporting their patients' health behavior change.

3. Identify approaches for the implementation of health behavior change in a cost-effective way
   A number of barriers exist towards promoting health behavior change such as the lack of financial compensation, time constraints, poor education, or insufficient clinical experience. Therefore, the 2nd workshop aims to review the current evidence for the implementation of health behavior change by looking at the role and methods of compensation, the rational for patient referral and the applicability of cost-effective methods of health behavior change for the improvement of oral hygiene, tobacco use prevention and cessation and dietary counseling.

4. Increase self-confidence for providing tobacco use prevention and cessation counseling
   Numerous dental clinicians and educators still report a lack of self-confidence either in applying or teaching tobacco use prevention and cessation counseling. Hence, the issues of education and training as well as board-certified accreditation of evidence based tobacco use prevention and cessation skills will be addressed. The 2008 workshop aims to establish the necessary suggestions for teaching and learning programs as well as appropriate assessment methods.

5. Continue support and assistance for implementation of health behavior change
   Various dental schools and dental hygiene programs in and out of Europe occupy a small number of teaching personnel with the necessary skills required to provide appropriate education for health behavior change in the dental practice. Therefore, the 2nd workshop seeks to establish various forms of resources that can be distributed and shared.

6. Establish an agenda for further oral health research
   Evidence based oral health care management of tobacco use related diseases can only continue to emerge if supported by research findings that validate effective interventions and care pathways. The 2nd workshop will seek to establish a collaborative research agenda for 2008 – 2011 that engages both scientists and supporters.

Working groups

The participants of the 2nd European workshop will be recruited through the workshop’s chairperson and the sponsors. All the group chairpersons and the co-chairs must have been identified as experts in the field. Each workshop participant is shown to be currently active in the field of the assigned working group.

40 workshop participants are invited and enrolled into 5 working groups. Each group is lead by a chairperson and an acting co-chair, and completed with 6 working group participants.

The working titles for each working group are:

• Oral health risks and effects of cessation
   

• Public health aspects revised
   

• Improving effectiveness
   

• Role and models for compensation
   

• Content and methods of education revised

Patronage and collaborative sponsors of the 2nd European Workshop on Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals

With the patronage of the Swiss National Program To Promote Tobacco Use Prevention And Cessation and the collaborative sponsorship from Johnson & Johnson, Orapharma, and Philips, we are able to bring the 2nd European Workshop on Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals to life.

Swiss National Program to Promote Tobacco use prevention and cessation
	Johnson & Johnson	Orapharma	Philips