World No Tobacco Day: countering tobacco and nicotine addiction

World No Tobacco Day is an annual Who Health Organization (WHO) initiative which aims "[to inform] the public on the dangers of using tobacco ... and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations."

This year the global event has taken as its theme, "Unmask the appeal – countering tobacco and nicotine addiction", promoting the message that the cycle of addiction can be broken, especially among young people.

The Oral Health Tracker, an ADA initiative developed in collaboration with the Australian Health Policy Collaboration, underscores the level of addiction in Australia by revealing that 11% of people, aged over 14, are smokers.

Vaping usage levels are also trending up, especially among younger demographics, causing damage to oral health and increasing the risk of lung disease, heart disease, and cancer.

Figures supplied by WHO for this year’s World No Tobacco Day campaign show that 15 million adolescents aged 13-15 are using e-cigarettes with 40 million members of the same group using tobacco. Overall, in countries with available data, adolescents are on average nine times more likely to vape than adults.

ADA members are uniquely placed to tackle this issue with their younger patients with a suite of consumer-centric resources available through Teeth.org.au, created by the ADA as a way of providing "accessible and understandable information about oral health".

Peer-written and reviewed articles on smoking and vaping are available which speak directly to consumers, outlining the oral and general health risks associated with the practices but also crucially, explaining why and how people should quit.

You can supply this information, written in easily accessible language, to your patients knowing it comes from your peers with the full backing of the ADA.

ADA members can also access a range of CPD material on the topic via the CPD Portal, which features, for example, a Dental Files interview with Professor Purnima Kumar on vaping and the National Digital Library which has a world-class range of books and journals addressing the issue.