The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is encouraging dental professionals to use this year's No Smoking Day – 9 March 2016 – as an opportunity to raise awareness and boost participation among patients by promoting quit aids and local support services.

According to research conducted by the BHF, more than a third of smokers in the UK (37%) have noticed a negative difference in their appearance since they took up smoking, with over a third (36%) saying their teeth had become discoloured, and seven in ten (71%) saying they were concerned about the effect smoking was having on their oral health (data from a survey of 2,000 UK smokers).

Dr Mike Knapton, BHF Associate Medical Director, said: 'We're asking smokers to mark the 9 March on their calendars to take the first step towards a smoke-free life'.

Visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk to order a free No Smoking Day organiser pack. #NoSmokingDay.

Government called on to 'cough up'

Cancer Research UK has called on the UK Government to make the tobacco industry pay for the damages it causes and help reduce the number of people killed by cigarettes (more than 100,000 people in the UK every year).

A report published by Cancer Research UK has revealed that cuts to public health funding mean local Stop Smoking Services are being closed down. In response, the charity is launching a new 'Cough Up' campaign and wants the public to support a simple solution to the problem: making the tobacco industry pay for public health services and mass media quit campaigns.

By charging the tobacco industry around 1p per cigarette sold in the UK, an extra £500 million could be raised and spent directly on tobacco control.

Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK's Director of Cancer Prevention, said: 'For too long the tobacco industry has [been] making money without having to spend a single pound on the damage its products cause. We'd like to see [tobacco companies] using their profits to keep Stop Smoking Services open and fund advertising campaigns to help people quit. We urge the Government to make the industry cough up.'

Support the campaign by visiting http://www.cruk.org/big-tobacco-cough-up.