Introduction

The BDA and the Health Development Agency have recently produced a tobacco cessation guide for dentists and their teams.

Helping smokers to stop – a guide for the dental team includes practical information on how to give effective advice on the dangers of tobacco and uses case studies to illustrate how dental practitioners and PCTs are working together to promote tobacco cessation.

Local NHS smoking cessation services have been set up in recent years, and the guide encourages the dental team to refer smokers to these services. Most services offer both one to one and group counselling sessions for smokers who are keen to quit.

Up to 3.5 hours of verifiable CPD will be obtainable by answering the questions listed in the guide, a copy of which has been sent to all BDA members in England as an insert to this issue of the BDJ.

Copies of the guide can also be downloaded from the British Dental Association website (www.bda.org).