Tobacco Usage among Dental Interns in Panchkula, Haryana, India

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is one of the major preventable reasons for death. Despite this, its prevalence is increasing among dental students. For the purpose of advocacy of planning tobacco control and interventions, data on prevalence of tobacco usage is needed. AIM: To assess prevalence of tobacco usage among dental interns of district Panchkula, Haryana, India. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July-September 2019 among dental interns of Panchkula using a self-administered questionnaire. Data based on demographic factors, smoking habits, and associated risk factors was collected. Descriptive analysis for demographic variables and smoking habits were analyzed using the SPSS 24.0 software. RESULT: The prevalence of current tobacco use was 29.54% (22.2% males and 6.8% females). Male interns were significantly more likely than female interns to be current cigarette smokers. On probing the cause of smoking, a majority of participants cited friends and stress as the main cause for smoking. The proportion of regular smokers whose parents smoke was more significant compared to occasional smokers. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of tobacco usage among dental interns is more in males as compared to females so dental interns need to be trained regarding anti-tobacco counselling.