Gaps and Barriers Among Dental Undergraduates Towards Promoting and Assisting Tobacco Cessation: A Multicountry Cross-Sectional Study

The purpose of this study was to assess and compare awareness, preparedness, and perceived barriers to promoting and assisting tobacco cessation among dental students in South/South East Asia. This cross-sectional study of dental undergraduate students undergoing clinical training at seven participating dental schools across seven countries used an online questionnaire to assess three main attributes: awareness, preparedness, and perceived barriers to promoting and assisting with tobacco cessation. A total of 667 undergraduate dental students participated in the study. Though the students demonstrated good theoretical knowledge and willingness to engage in tobacco cessation practices, 60.7% perceived, they lacked sufficient practical experience to provide tobacco cessation counseling (TCC), and 27.7% reported, they lacked sufficient clinical time. Approximately one-third of the students (31.3%) expressed concern that the dentist–patient relationship would be affected if they insisted on providing TCC. Further, 64.8% also perceived patient-related barriers as a lack of motivation to quit tobacco, whereas 26.3% and 21.9% of students believed that patients were not expecting or unwilling to listen to a dental student, respectively. A moderate positive relationship was observed between awareness and preparedness (r = 0.583, p < 0.001), suggesting that enhanced knowledge improves confidence in counseling. Conversely, the negative correlations between awareness and barriers (r = −0.317, p < 0.001) and between preparedness and barriers (r = −0.365, p < 0.001) indicated that better training can help overcome implementation challenges. Although the dental students believed they had reasonable awareness and willingness, several gaps were identified, especially in translating this knowledge to practice in dental clinics across different countries.