Attitudes of Romanian dental students towards tobacco and alcohol

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess smoking and alcohol use in male and female Romanian dental students and to compare this with different levels of education.

Methods and materials: A total of 315 questionnaires were distributed to male and female dental students (first to sixth year students).

Results: Among the 315 respondents, 37.33% were smokers and 71.04% o f students used alcohol on a regular basis. Overall, there was a 30-day smoking prevalence of 32.47%. Among those who smoked daily, 24% were sixth year students and only 10% were first year. The average number of cigarettes smoked was thirteen cigarettes per day with males smoking more than females (p<0.0001). The average number of years as a smoker was five years, with fifth and sixth year students smoking longer than others (p<0.001). The average age when students started to smoke was 17.15 years. Statistically significant differences were observed between genders related to alcohol drinking (p<0.0001). Significant linear relationships were shown between smoking and alcohol consumption (r;2=0.47, p<0.0001).

Conclusion: There was a clear difference in smoking and alcohol consumption between groups of Romanian dental students.