Tobacco
11/02/2023

FDI addresses the tobacco challenge with a workshop in Jordan

FDI and the Jordan Dental Association join forces to conduct a workshop to help dentists and dental teams deliver effective tobacco interventions.

tobacco jordan

Tobacco use remains a pressing global challenge, posing a significant threat to international public health while contributing to a range of oral diseases. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Oral Health Status Report (GOHSR) underlines this concern by revealing that, in 2020, an estimated 22.3% of the global population used some forms of tobacco.1

To combat the widespread use of tobacco and its adverse effects on oral health, FDI has been conducting capacity building workshops with its members. The primary goal of these workshops is to equip dentists and dental teams with the necessary tools and resources to deliver effective smoking cessation advice to their patients.
 

Equipping dental teams in Jordan to deliver effective tobacco interventions

One such collaborative effort took place on 12 October, when FDI joined forces with the Jordan Dental Association to conduct a tobacco cessation workshop in Amman, Jordan. The workshop was attended by 25 participants representing various public and private sectors, where they learned how to implement the Tobacco Cessation Guide and deliver tobacco cessation advice to patients within their practices.

During the workshop, attendees engaged in enlightening discussions about the current state of tobacco use in the country. The severity of the issue is underlined by the WHO's GOHSR country profile for Jordan, which revealed that the total prevalence of current tobacco use – both smoked and smokeless – among individuals aged 15 and older in Jordan is a staggering 34.6%.2

The guide, developed by FDI as part of its Tobacco Cessation project, stresses that in developed countries more than 60% of tobacco users see a dentist or a member of the dental team on an annual basis. 3 This emphasizes the important role of dentists and dental teams in raising awareness about the detrimental effects of tobacco use on oral health.

Attendees found the 5As and 5Rs models to be highly valuable for delivering three-to-five-minute brief tobacco interventions to their patients. The 5As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) summarize all the activities that members of the dental team can do to help a tobacco user make a quit attempt. The 5Rs (Relevance, Risks, Rewards, Roadblocks, and Repetition) method is designed to be addressed during a motivational counselling intervention to help those who are not ready to quit.

Discover the resources of the Tobacco Cessation project and join us in our mission to create a healthier world for all. Together, we can make a significant impact on addressing the challenges of tobacco use and improving oral health on a global scale.
 

Tobacco Cessation Project

 

References

  1. Global oral health status report: towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022.
  2. Global oral health status report: towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030. Country Profiles: Jordan. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/oral-health-jor-2022-country-profile
  3. FDI Tobacco Cessation Guide for Health Professionals. Geneva: FDI World Dental Federation; 2021. Available at: https://fdiworlddental.org/fdi-tobacco-cessation-guide-health-professionals