Anti-smoking programmes in dentistry: A comparative analysis of approaches in Ukraine and the EU countries
The aim of the study was to compare approaches to tobacco smoking prevention in dental practice in Ukraine and the European Union countries. The study was carried out as an analytical review of the literature with elements of comparative analysis, within which 38 sources were processed for the period 2005-2026; the analysis studied the dental consequences of tobacco smoking and approaches to preventive counselling, the practices of Ukraine and the European Union countries were compared, and the generalisation formulated common features, differences, and directions for adapting European experience. The analysis of the sources showed that tobacco smoking and the use of alternative nicotine products are associated with a complex of dental changes that include periodontal tissues, oral mucosa, oral hygiene status, dental hard tissues and restorative materials. It was found that dental practice has a preventive potential for early detection of tobacco use, brief counselling and support for smoking cessation, however, the level of formalisation of such interventions is uneven. In Ukraine, the general regulatory framework for tobacco control is more clearly presented, while in the European Union countries, professional guidelines, educational support and structured counselling models are more clearly traced. It was determined that the most realistic directions for adapting European experience to Ukrainian dental practice are standardisation of preventive counselling, routine assessment of tobacco status, professional training of dentists and implementation of brief clinical algorithms. The results confirmed the feasibility of integrating anti-smoking interventions into routine dental practice and adapting structured European approaches to the Ukrainian context. The obtained data can be used by dentists, teachers of higher medical education institutions, health care organisers, developers of clinical recommendations and postgraduate training programmes to improve preventive counselling, professional algorithms of actions and organisation of anti-smoking interventions in dental care
tobacco; nicotine; periodontium; oral cavity; preventive counselling; tobacco smoking; alternative nicotine products
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