Applying a theory-based approach to identify determinants of dentists’ intention to adopt Canadian smoking cessation clinical guidelines in Quebec: A pilot study
Introduction: Tobacco is a risk factor for many oral and systemic diseases and conditions. Many institutions recommend the use of clinical guidelines on smoking cessation to help people quit smoking. Yet, several studies also indicate that clinical guidelines are widely underutilized and study of this topic through a theoretical framework are scarce. The purpose of this study was to identify the underlying individual mechanisms which support dentists’ intention to adopt the Canadian smoking cessation clinical guidelines in Quebec, Canada.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 59 dentists working in private practices between January and September 2016. The study was conducted using a validated and anonymous questionnaire based on a modified version of the Triandis’ Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour. The theoretical model was tested by multiple linear regression.Results: The adapted theoretical model explained 63% of variance in dentists’ intention to adopt these guidelines in their practices. The mains predictors of dentists’ intention were professional norm (β=0.85; p≤ 0.0001) and control beliefs (β=0.3; p= 0.01).Conclusions: Grounded in the theory, the results of this study give a first view of dentists’ individual determinants that could be targeted to develop successful ways of increasing the adoption of Canadian smoking cessation guidelines in dental settings. Further research is needed to confirm these results.