Cigarette Smoking and Nicotine Dependence Among Dental Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sanjeev B Khanagar; Abdullah S Almansour; Hamzah M Alshanqiti; Nawaf F Alkathiri; Mohammed A Asseery; Saud M Altheyabi; Darshan Devang Divakar

doi:10.7759/cureus.48676

Cigarette Smoking and Nicotine Dependence Among Dental Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Cureus. 2023 Nov 11;15(11):e48676. doi: 10.7759/cureus.48676. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Sanjeev B Khanagar^{1

2

3}, Abdullah S Almansour⁴, Hamzah M Alshanqiti⁴, Nawaf F Alkathiri⁴, Mohammed A Asseery⁴, Saud M Altheyabi⁴, Darshan Devang Divakar⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Preventive Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU.
² Research, King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, SAU.
³ College of Public Health, Texila American University, Georgetown, GUY.
⁴ College of Dentistry, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU.
⁵ Dental Biomaterials Research Chair, Dental Health Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU.

Abstract

Introduction: Dental professionals have a vital role in promoting tobacco cessation interventions in dental care settings, and despite being aware of the detrimental effects of tobacco products on individuals' health, they are still engaged in using tobacco products.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking and the level of physical and social nicotine dependence among undergraduate dental students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using standardized tools to develop appropriate tobacco cessation interventions.

Methodology: Dental students from six dental colleges located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were invited to participate in this study. A total of 430 dental students agreed to participate by providing written informed consent. Physical dependence on nicotine was assessed using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and social dependency was assessed using the Kano Test Social Nicotine Dependence (KTSND).

Results: Among the 430 participants, 120 (27%) reported smoking. The level of nicotine dependence assessed for the 120 (27%) participants who had reported smoking using FTND showed 24 (20%) with high nicotine dependence and 18 (15%) with very high nicotine dependence. When compared between the genders, five (16%) of the female participants displayed high nicotine dependency, and two (6%) displayed very high nicotine dependency. Among the male participants, 19 (21%) displayed high nicotine dependency, and 16 (18%) displayed very high nicotine dependency. The study participants also displayed high KTSND scores, male participants with a mean score of 18.20 and female participants with a mean score of 17.97.

Conclusion: Dental students, despite being the facilitators in tobacco prevention and cessation programs, have displayed a high prevalence of cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence. These findings should be considered for designing specific tobacco cessation programs for dental students, along with effective stress management programs. Emphasis should be placed on developing and implementing policies for creating supportive environments in educational institutions. Dental students should be trained and engaged in tobacco prevention and cessation intervention programs for their patients.

Keywords: cigarette; dental education; nicotine dependence; prevalence; smoking; undergraduate students.