Assessing tobacco use status for all patients is as important as obtaining any other vital sign. Every patient should have their tobacco use assessed at every visit to a health care professional, to include visits to the dentist. "It Can't Hurt to Ask" will help make you more comfortable about assessing if your patients smoke. Simple guidelines can be found by going to the site, "A 3-Step Approach to Helping Patients Quit Smoking." For clear guidance to help your patients with their tobacco use, go to www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/.

Once you have determined that your patient is smoking or using spit tobacco, arranging for assistance may be as easy as referral to tobacco cessation providers in your community. Treatment methods include support groups, individual therapy, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, auriculotherapy, and other methods. For providers in the Northeast Florida region, go to resources. Quit success rates are maximized with the addition of nicotine replacement products and/or bupropion.

Research is critical to improve prevention and quit rates. Consider referring your patients that meet clinical criteria to clinical studies to advance the science of treating tobacco addiction. Go to the clinical studies site and print flyers to distribute to your patients.

Do you need more information about tobacco? Go to "Links to Smoking Information Sites" and "Journal References."