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What Do Dental Students Know About E-Cigarettes? A Cross-Sectional Survey from One Palestinian Dental School

Author

Listed:
  • Rola Muhammed Shadid

    (Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Arab American University, Jenin 240, Palestine
    Private Practice, Jenin 240, Palestine)

  • Reeta Alsaeed

    (Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Arab American University, Jenin 240, Palestine)

Abstract

Owing to the vital role played by dentists in patient education and due to the growing popularity of e-cigarette use among the younger population, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the use, knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes toward e-cigarettes among dental students. A cross-sectional questionnaire was given between March and June of 2024 to undergraduate dental students in the Faculty of Dentistry at the Arab American University in Palestine. A 32-item questionnaire with five sections, namely demographics, smoking habits, knowledge, beliefs and attitude, and education about e-cigarettes was sent to all appropriate participants (N = 1050). The response rate was 31% (N = 325). About 11.7% of the respondents were current e-cigarette smokers. The two most commonly cited reasons for initial use of e-cigarettes were curiosity (52.8%) and a desire to quit conventional smoking (27.8%). The average knowledge score was 6.63 (3.08) out of 12, demonstrating a generally inadequate level of knowledge about e-cigarettes. Conventional cigarette smokers were more knowledgeable about e-cigarettes than non-smokers (OR = 1.928; 95% CI: 1.061–3.505; p -value = 0.031). The majority of students (92%) considered the level of education they received in the dental school about e-cigarettes as inadequate, and more than half (53.2%) received information from social media. In conclusion, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among Palestinian dental students is relatively high compared with that reported for other dental students worldwide. Since the students showed a generally inadequate level of knowledge about e-cigarettes, this study casts doubt on the competency of Palestinian dental students to offer cessation counseling, highlighting the necessity to revise the dental curricula to foster positive knowledge and belief conducive to ideal behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Rola Muhammed Shadid & Reeta Alsaeed, 2024. "What Do Dental Students Know About E-Cigarettes? A Cross-Sectional Survey from One Palestinian Dental School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(12), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:12:p:1711-:d:1550241
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jan Tempel & Aliya Noormohamed & Robert Schwartz & Cameron Norman & Muhannad Malas & Laurie Zawertailo, 2016. "Vape, quit, tweet? Electronic cigarettes and smoking cessation on Twitter," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(2), pages 249-256, March.
    2. Mateusz Jankowski & Marek Krzystanek & Jan Eugeniusz Zejda & Paulina Majek & Jakub Lubanski & Joshua Allan Lawson & Grzegorz Brozek, 2019. "E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-10, June.
    3. Grana, Rachel PhD, MPH & Benowitz, Neal MD & Glantz, Stanton A. PhD, 2013. "Background Paper on E-cigarettes (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems)," University of California at San Francisco, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education qt13p2b72n, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, UC San Francisco.
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