Awareness about the effects of tobacco consumption on oral health and the possibility of smoking behavior among male Saudi schoolchildren

OBJECTIVE: To investigate an association between the awareness about the effects of tobacco consumption on oral health and the likelihood of smoking among male schoolchildren. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted using a multistage random sampling technique. The participants (ages 15–19 years) were recruited from male public high schools in Greater Dammam in Saudi Arabia. A pretested questionnaire inquired participants' awareness about the effects of smoking on oral health. SPSS (Released 2013, IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) was used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Multiple logistic regression and interaction analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with the probability of smoking behavior among children. RESULTS: More than 69.9% (n = 277) of participants were aware of the adverse effects of tobacco consumption on oral health which included poor oral health, bad taste and breath, periodontal disease, dental caries, oral ulcers, and oral cancers. The odds of smoking were 22%–47% lower among schoolchildren who were aware of the consequences of smoking on oral health than those who were unaware of these complications. The students who believed that smoking can cause oral ulcers and negatively affects oral health had a lower probability of smoking (OR: 0.414; CI: 0.201–0.50) and (OR: 0.433; CI: 0.194–0.965), respectively in comparison with those who thought that smoking had no such negative impacts. CONCLUSIONS: Schoolchildren with increased awareness of smoking effects on oral health were less likely to smoke. Educating students about the complications of smoking on oral health should be the part of smoking cessation programs and policies.