| CODE | DNS2012 | ||||||||
| TITLE | An Introduction to Smoking Cessation Programs for Dental Surgery Students | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Dental Surgery | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit will strengthen, empower and equip the Dental students capacity in helping patients quit through the integrating and implementation of smoking cessation strategies and techniques in daily practice. This would enable them to address any queries arising both from hard core and other smokers wanting to quit and thus help or guide them on how to overcome their addiction. The study-unit will focus on developing an understanding of the tobacco addiction and its use. Clearly explaining what smoking is and its impact on the smoker and those around him/her. Why people smoke, the benefits of quitting and how to help smokers quit, dwelling on examples from practical everyday smokers lives. Dentists need to be equipped with the appropriate tools to exploring possible barriers and different options for smoking cessation to be able to contribute and facilitate a change in their patients smoking behaviour. The study-unit will go further by giving tangible examples that smokers might present. How to empathize with the smoking addicted patients, understanding their concerns, difficulties and explore possible cessation options. This would contribute towards the Dentist’s understanding of tobacco dependence and use. Students would learn how to keep abreast with evidence-based findings on tobacco smoking prevention, its on-going changes and trends within a local, European Union and World Health Organisation context. Study-unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are to: - Establish brief smoking cessation intervention as a daily standard of practice for all and develop confidence in the student’s ability in helping patients to quit; - Inform students on any emerging, addictive smoking products; - Provide Dental Surgery Students with both the knowledge and the practice of the different evidence based smoking cessation methods and tools; - Understand tobacco addiction and the smokers’ behavioural stages and their readiness to quit; - Educate patients on the harm of tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke; - Be knowledgeable of all tobacco dependence support services available in our local community setting; - Make use of existing simple methods in educating and empowering patients to quit. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss the complex and compulsive nature of the smoking habit; - Discuss the use of emerging, addictive smoking products; - Evaluate a smoker’s situation, provide information and guidance on cessation; - Discuss the proper clinical skills used in advising patients to encourage smoking cessation to different sectors of the population; - Discuss the use Nicotine Replacement Therapies to reduce withdrawal symptoms; - Discuss the available local support services. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Implement smoking cessation strategies and techniques in daily practice; - Acquire and exhibit the appropriate clinical based skills to influence a positive behavioural change; - Show leadership and become a role model for other professional organizations and society at large; - Advocate and add their voice to national and global tobacco control efforts; - Optimizing and implementing different smoking cessation strategies. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Beck, A. T., Wright, F. D., Newman, C. F., &Liese, B. S. (2011). Cognitive therapy of substance abuse. Guilford Press. - Europe Quitting : Progress and Pathways (EQUIPP). (2011). - Chaloupka, F. J., Straif, K., & Leon, M. E. (2010). Effectiveness of tax and price policies in tobacco control. - Payne, S. (2011). Gender, women and the tobacco epidemic. Gender & Development, 19(2), 344-345. - World Health Organization. (2013). WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2013: enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. World Health Organization. - World Health Organization. (2009). WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: Guidelines for Implementation of Article 5. 3 Article 8 Article 11 and Article 13. World Health Organization. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Attendance to scheduled sessions, inclusive of lectures/tutorials, practical, laboratory and clinical components is compulsory. Students who do not attend at least 90% of the scheduled sessions will not be allowed to sit for any of the assessment components mentioned below. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Practicum, Group Learning & Ind Study | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Emma Schembri Maria Luisa Gainza-Cirauqui Joanna Basic Anne Buttigieg Angelika Biernacka Buttigieg Stefan Buttigieg |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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