Tobacco and Oral Health
GEHA Solutions | November 13, 2023
Tobacco – in any form – is hard on the entire body, including the teeth. According to the CDC, people who use tobacco are twice as likely to experience tooth decay, and “people who smoke are three times more likely to lose all their teeth.”
The reasons to quit using tobacco are well known. To help support patients as they try to quit using, the World Health Organization developed the five A’s: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist and Arrange.
5As |
Action |
Ask - |
• Ask ALL of your patients at every encounter if they use tobacco and document it. |
Advise - |
• Urge every tobacco user to quit in a clear, strong, and personalized manner. |
Assess - |
• Ask two questions in relation to “importance” and “self-efficacy”: |
Assist- |
• Help the patient develop a quit plan. |
Arrange - |
• Arrange a follow-up contact with your patient either in-person or by telephone. |
Table 1. The 5 As from the World Health Organization.
Visit the World Health Organization and CDC websites for additional resources (toolkit). Federal employees may find information on the FEHB tobacco cessation benefit, at the OPM's Quit Smoking webpage.
Sources:
“Dental professionals: Help your patients quit.” cdc.gov, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 March, 2020.
“Toolkit for delivering the 5 A’s and 5 R’s brief tobacco interventions in primary care” who.int, World Health Organization.