Mapping The Role Of The Dental Team In Smoking Cessation Practices Within Primary Dental Care : A Scoping Review

eview question / Objective Population (P) oral healthcare team members (dentists, h y g i e n i s t s , t h e r a p i s t s , a s s i s t a n t s , technicians); Concept (C) Context (C) primary dental care settings (government dental clinics, university dental clinics, private dental clinics).Objective: To systematically map and synthesize existing evidence on the roles and practices of the dental team in supporting smoking cessation.PCC-derived research questions "What are the roles of dental team members in delivering smoking cessation practice in a primary care setting?" Background Around the world, smoking has become one of the significant risk factors in diseases related to tobacco.Smoking-associated oral lesions include abrasions, acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, other periodontal conditions, black hairy tongue, burns and keratotic patches, leukoplakia, nicotinic stomatitis, palatal erosions, tooth stains, smoker's melanosis, epithelial dysplasia, and squamous-cell carcinoma.Smoking tobacco also affects the oral microbiome, which contributes to the development of oral diseases.Hence, it is a responsibility of healthcare professionals across all disciplines to integrate smoking cessation support into routine care.Rationale Primary dental care offers a unique and often underutilized clinical setting for tobacco control.Unlike general medical practitioners, dental teams frequently see patients for routine maintenance rather than acute illness, creating repetitive "teachable moments."Furthermore, the visible effects of tobacco in the oral cavity allow clinicians to personalize the advice, linking the patient's habit directly to their current oral health status.A variety of tobacco cessation strategies can be offered by dental professionals, including dentists, dental nurses, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and therapists.However, the delivery of smoking cessation is often made and encouraged INPLASY