Sir, an unusual piece of anecdotal evidence has recently been brought to light by our Oral Health Promotion team. That is, that some smoking cessation programmes are advocating the sucking of glucose tablets to aid in the control of craving for a cigarette. This is based on some published work by Robert West et al.1,2 Although the benefits of quitting smoking to both general and oral health are potentially huge, the use of glucose tablets taken at regular intervals throughout the day could have disastrous effects on the caries rate and experience of some individuals.
If this method of quitting is in fact a panacea then advice recommending patients to attend the dentist for regular/closer review than normal, along with recommending the use of a fluoride supplement (high fluoride toothpaste and/or fluoride mouthwash) should be given at the very least.
The HDA publication Helping smokers stop encourages the dental team to become involved in highlighting the oral health benefits of smoking cessation and to signpost patients considering quitting to the local smoking cessation service. As a profession we should also be engaging with our smoking cessation colleagues and forming a body of research which scientifically shows the benefit of using glucose tablets to aid quitting and balance that against a measured drop off in oral health of those involved, therefore obtaining evidence-based practice.
References
West R et al. Acute affects of glucose tablets on desire to smoke. Psychopharmacology 1999; 147: 319–321.
West R . Glucose for smoking cessation. Does it have a role? CNS Drugs 2001; 15: 261–265.
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Emanuel, R., Edwards, T. Glucose advice. Br Dent J 199, 694 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4813031
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4813031