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Tobacco Intervention Initiative

The Tobacco Intervention Initiative (TII) is a professionally-led "call to action" programme to eradicate tobacco addiction while striving for a 'tobacco free India' and thus improving the oral health of Indians by the year 2020.

Tobacco Intervention Initiative

Tobacco smoking and consumption of smokeless or chewing tobacco affects the lives of billions of persons, posing an enormous public health challenge in its complexity, scale and impact, both at an individual and nation-wide level.

Tobacco use and smoking in particular, causes many of the chronic and debilitating diseases that affect the population and stress the national health-care system. Such diseases include heart disease, stroke, multiple cancers and respiratory diseases, as well as complications of pregnancy such as preterm delivery and low infant birth weight.

Mission

Making tobacco intervention accessible to all by establishing a chain of TCC Centres.

Vision

To Make India Tobacco free by 2020.

Highlights of TII

We belive in updating, enhancing scientific technology and creating opportunities for a healthy India with the involvement of the dental professionals:

Scientific approach
Train dental professionals and disseminate information on a scientific basis.

Trust
Our resources and programmes will be supervised, conducted and appraised in a manner to uphold the trust placed in us by the public.

Society
We aim to improve the health status through communication, prevention and intervention.

  • Create a tobacco-free-India through intervention and prevention.
  • Analyze the tobacco usage trends. Encourage people to give priority to health and ensure access to the best tobacco intervention services.
  • This strategic plan is drafted to address the challenges that tobacco intervention offers. We have incorporated the following:
    • Revolutionary advances in intervention techniques. Also dissemination of these advances thereby providing impetus to professional development.
    • Developing innovation in health care, which is being used to promote oral health awareness and tobacco addiction prevention;
    • Lastly connecting the professional pool with the community resulting in mutual benefit and development.

We translate and convey the advances and progress to health professionals, professional organisations, and the public through organized efforts.

Dental expertise
Tobacco usage causes significant changes in a person's mouth (as a periodontal diseases or oral cancer). The dentist are specialist of the oral cavity,  who are the first line of defense in early detection of diseases.  Here, the Indian Dental Association (IDA) an association of dentists is best equipped to deal with all complications related to the oral cavity. They are professionally trained to diagnose abnormal conditions associated with or caused by tobacco use. Counseling by dentist helps the patient understand the deleterious effects of continued tobacco usage. This knowledge about the adverse effects helps patients in quitting tobacco. Therefore, the dentist must be trained about the five major steps for intervention (the "5 A's": Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange).

Benefit to practice
Dentist too benefit from participation in IDA's TII, because  it provides them a positive work environment. Successful practice revolves around satisfied patients and lasting relationships. Quality of life and longevity increases when dentists provide tobacco cessation advice. Along with the primary goal of modern dentistry (preserving oral structures), dentists can simultaneously save lives( the ultimate in service) in collaboration with TII. This increases the respect and recognition of the dentist.

Sustaining the uniqueness
IDA provides a multidisciplinary task-force (diverse professional groups) with the dentist assuming the central role. This imparts a uniqueness to the cessation programme whereby IDA assumes the leadership role for cooperation and coordination.

Addressing disparities
Lower income groups are the most addicted to tobacco, as they lack education, awareness about the adverse effects of tobacco usage, plus they do not have funds for treatment. Dentists at TCC Centres by their counseling and intervention can to a large extent curtail the resultant morbidity and mortality due to tobacco usage.

Our goal is creating an healthy nation by tobacco–free India. We are committed to reducing tobacco usage in all form by counseling by dentists at TCC Centre.

TCC Centre are certified dental clinics where the dentist offer counseling at individual, group level, behavior therapy, self- help materials, educational CDS and books along with Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT).

These clinics form the supportive infrastructure for tobacco cessation, where the dentist is a trained tobacco intervention professional. Your search for tobacco de-addiction can end at the dental clinic.

Tobacco Intervention Initiative

Tobacco smoking and consumption of smokeless or chewing tobacco affects the lives of billions of persons, posing an enormous public health challenge in its complexity, scale and impact, both at an individual and nation-wide level.

Effects of Tobacco on Health

Health Professionals

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Professional Forum

Accept tobacco control as part of dental practice. Get involved in policy change and building public opinion. Share, Educate, Learn, Expose the ills of tobacco.

Public Activities

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Public Forum

Let’s share success stories, these will inform and encourage those who are addicted and those who desire to help them. Learn & find relief from addiction.

World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco...

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Did you know?

Tobacco Production

India occupies the third position in the world with an annual production of about 800 million kgs. of the different types grown, flue-cured tobacco, country tobacco, burley, bidi.

Tobacco depletes the soil nutrients at a very rapid rate and displaces the indigenous flora and fauna thus becoming a source of pests for other crops.

Revenue Generation

The total central excise revenue from all tobacco products in the year 2011-12 amounted to only 17 percent (174 billion) of the estimated economic costs of tobacco.

Tobacco Users

Tobacco kills nearly one million people in India every year.

34.6% of adults in India are consuming tobacco in any form; 47.9% of males and 20.3% of females.

5500 children are initiate into using tobacco every day in India.

It pushes the poor into an endless cycle of poverty because of the ill health effects of tobacco.

Second Hand Smoke (SHS)

SHS is three- to four-times more toxic per gram of particulate matter than mainstream tobacco smoke.

52% of the adults (rural-58%, urban-39%) were exposed to Second Hand Smoking(SHS) at home.

Tobacco Related Diseases

Can be perceived under 3 main groups, namely, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), pulmonary diseases, and cancer. Tobacco consumption also adversely affects reproductive health, digestive process, vision, bone metabolism, dental hygiene, and perhaps, diminished performance in virtually every functioning cell.

Treatment Costs

The total economic costs attributable to tobacco use from all diseases in India in the year 2011 for persons aged 35-69 years amounted to a staggering Rs. 1,04,500 crore.

Direct medical costs amounted to Rs. 16,800 crore and associated indirect morbidity cost Rs. 14,700 crore.

The cost from premature mortality was estimated at Rs. 73,000 crore.

(These figures are as per the study conducted by Public Health Specialists for WHO and MoHFW and released on 29th May 2014 by the Former Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan)

Monetary Losses Iincurred to Government's Preventive Treatment

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs): Rs. 3,600 crores;

Respiratory Diseases (excluding Tuberculosis): Rs. 2,800 crores;

Tuberculosis: Rs. 2,300 crores;

Cancers: Rs. 1,400 crores

(These figures are as per the study conducted by Public Health Specialists for WHO and MoHFW and released on 29th May 2014 by the Former Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan)

Price Hike

10% increase in bidi prices could reduce rural bidi consumption by 9.2% and a 10% increase in cigarette prices could reduce rural cigarette consumption by 3.4%.

Did you know that use of smokeless tobacco products can lead to nicotine dependence or addiction.

Did you know that smokeless tobacco uses results in gingival recession.

Did you know that Nicotine is similar in all critical measures to prototypic drugs of abuse such as morphine and cocaine.

Did you know that nicotine is psychoactive, producing transient dose-related changes in mood and feeling.

Did you know that Nicotine produces a variety of individual- specific therapeutic actions such as mood and performance enhancement; and the brief effects of nicotine ensure that conditioning occurs, because the behavior is associated with numerous concomitant environmental stimuli.

Did you know that since the exposure to nicotine from smokeless tobacco is similar in magnitude to nicotine exposure from cigarette smoking, the health consequences of smoking that are caused by nicotine also would be expected to be hazards of smokeless tobacco use.

Did you know that we are concerned about the contributory or supportive role that nicotine plays in the pathogenesis of disease including coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, peptic ulcer disease, and fetal mortality and morbidity.

Did you know that grit and sand in smokeless tobacco products scratches teeth and wears away the hard surface or enamel. Premature loss of tooth enamel can cause added sensitivity and may require corrective treatment.

Did you know that constant irritation to the spot in the mouth where a small wad of chewing tobacco is placed can result in permanent damage to periodontal tissue. It also can damage the supporting bone structure. The injured gums pull away from the teeth, exposing root surfaces and leaving teeth sensitive to heat and cold. Erosion of critical bone support leads to loosened teeth that can be permanently lost.

Did you know that Nicotine blood levels achieved by smokeless tobacco use are similar to those from cigarette smoking. Nicotine addiction can lead to an artificially increased heart rate and blood pressure. In addition, it can constrict the blood vessels that are necessary to carry oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Athletic performance and endurance levels are decreased by this reaction.

Did you know that chewing tobacco lessens a person's sense of taste and ability to smell. As a result, users tend to eat more salty and sweet foods, both of which are harmful if consumed in excess.

Did you know that with the practice of "chewing" and "dipping," tobacco and its irritating juices are left in contact with gums, cheeks and/or lips for prolonged periods of time. This can result in a condition called leukoplakia. Leukoplakia appears either as a smooth, white patch or as leathery- looking wrinkled skin. It results in cancer in 3 percent to 5 percent of all cases.

Did you know that all forms of smokeless tobacco contain high concentrations of cancer- causing agents. These substances subject users to increased cancer risk not only of the oral cavity, but also the pharynx, larynx and esophagus.

Did you know that if you use smokeless tobacco, or have in the past, you should be on the lookout for some of these early signs of oral cancer:

  • A sore that does not heal
  • A lump or white patch
  • A prolonged sore throat
  • Difficulty in chewing
  • Restricted movement of the tongue or jaws
  • A feeling of something in the throat

Did you know that pain is rarely an early symptom. For this reason, all tobacco users need regular dental check-ups.

Preventive Care for Smokers

Regular dentist visits are must for smokers\tobacco users in order to benefit from professional cleanings.

A proper oral hygiene plan is extremely important for smokers. Smokers should be brushing, flossing, and using a tongue cleaner and mouthwash on a regular basis, at least twice daily.

Having the right toothbrush can be something that is often overlooked, but it is something that should not be neglected. Smokers should use a toothbrush that is more targeted for the general trouble areas. The toothbrush should also be able to reach the difficult areas in the back of the gums.

Toothbrush bristles should be stiff and strong enough to be able to tackle the hard stains left by tar in the tobacco.

Fortunately, there are at-home teeth whitening procedures available that effectively rid teeth of the yellowish-brown stains caused by smoking. Choose your teeth-whitening wisely after asking your dentist. It's important to note that, after whitening teeth, if a person continues to smoke, their teeth will stain again.

Smokers should also buy toothpaste that is made specifically for smokers, as they are chemically stronger and better able to tackle harder to clean bacteria.

Mouthwash helps combat the bad breath many smokers experience. There are also mouthwashes that are targeted just for smokers, ask your dentist.

Smokers must avoid foods can cause staining and erosion. Foods that can cause further staining, compounding on the damages already done by the use of tobacco. Coffee and soda are common drinks that can stain the teeth. Smokers should also avoid eating foods that are highly acidic in composition as they can cause enamel breakdown and cavities.

Why Regular Dental Visits are important?

What Can my Dentist do for me?

Your dentist will carry out a regular examination to make sure that your teeth and gums and whole mouth are healthy. Your cheeks, tongue and throat will be examined for any signs of other conditions that may need more investigation. You can also be given the latest information to help you stop smoking.

Get Regular Dental Checkups

Regular dental checkups are must because tobacco use and smoking causes a number of oral health issues, ranging from gum disease, oral cancer to discolored teeth. 90 percent of people with oral cancer (cancer affecting the lips, tongue, throat, and mouth) have used tobacco in some form. Likewise, the risk of oral cancer is six times higher among smokers relative to non- smokers. Your individual risk of oral cancer depends on how long you’ve been using tobacco — the longer you use it, the greater your risk. Between 40 and 50 percent of oral cancer cases die.

Live longer and improve your chances with early detection. Regular checkups by a dentist are a good way to catch oral cancer early. Any mouth ulcers can be checked out with a biopsy, and you can get a diagnosis. The sooner you start treatment, the better your odds of survival.

Smoking and Periodontal Disease

Smoking cigarettes causes periodontal, or gum, disease. Bone loss is part of periodontal disease. It starts out as inflammation of the gums. In the natural and unfortunate progression, the bone supporting the roots of your teeth becomes inflamed, and then the underlying bone can deteriorate. There are surgical and nonsurgical therapies to reverse or slow the progression of periodontal disease, but without proper treatment, gum disease does eventually lead to tooth loss and jawbone damage. Smoking is associated with more than 50 percent of periodontal disease cases.

For Oral Health, No Tobacco Is Safe

People often think that different forms of tobacco are "safer" than others. However, tobacco in any form has risks. It’s hard to figure out which is worse — when tobacco is chewed, smoked, or inhaled.

The bottom line is that regular exposure to tobacco in any form can compromise your health. Pipe smokers may not smoke very often, but they can [still] get cancer of the lips, as they’r always holding the pipe in the same place on the lip. Additionally, there’sa myth that chewing tobacco has less risk, but it’sbeen shown pretty clearly that this isn’ttrue.

And people who use smokeless (chewing) tobacco are at a four to six time greater risk of oral cancer than people who don't use tobacco at all. People who use smokeless tobacco are also at higher risk of tooth decay and cavities because some varieties of chewing tobacco contain sugar for a sweeter taste, and sugar is a primary cause of tooth decay.

Improve oral health by quitting smoking. After you’v quit smoking, your risk of oral health problems decreases significantly. And the longer you remain a non-smoker, the lower your risk becomes. A decade after you’v quit, your risk for periodontal disease is similar to that of a person who never smoked at all. Dentists at TII centre take the initiative to ask patients about their smoking habits, and are talking about the [nicotine] patch and other ways to help people quit. Visit your dentist.

Brush properly. Most people who have periodontal disease develop it from not brushing and flossing properly. The heat and carcinogens found in cigarettes and tobacco are also damaging to your mouth and gums. So people who use tobacco need to be doubly careful about brushing and flossing correctly and doing so as often as recommended. Ask your dentist about brushing and flossing to make sure you’r doing a thorough job.

Having Trouble Quitting? Visit the Dentist Regularly

If you do use tobacco, cutting back and eventually quitting are some of the most important actions you can take to improve both your oral health and your overall health.

Tobacco use “isa tremendously addictive habit, so in the meantime, regular dental visits can help with early detection” o gum disease and precancerous mouth sores. People at greatest risk for oral cancer are chronic smokers who don’t isit their dentists regularly. By the time oral cancer is detected, it’s ard to treat. Plus, the treatments can be more challenging at later stages. Surgery and radiation treatments are often disfiguring and can affect your ability to speak and eat.

Talk to your dentist about what can help you to kick your smoking and other tobacco habits today.

Success Stories

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36
State Branches
1120
TCC Centres
1020
Total No of Patients
815
Tobacco Quit

Achievements and Accolades

Oral Health Publication

Dental professionals to volunteer to take care of those who are disabled or elderly or medically fragile and cannot afford the needed dental care.

Tobacco Intervention Initiative

Self Examination

Tobacco Intervention Initiative

Five simple self-examine steps you can take to help identify oral diseases in their earliest stages!

  • Look in a mirror and stick out your tongue.
  • Examine the upper surface of the tongue for any unusual lumps or obvious changes in color. Dark blotches, for example, on the upper surface of the tongue should be examined.
  • Pull the tongue forward and examine the sides for lumps, bumps, masses and, again, obvious changes in skin color or texture. If you discover any obvious swelling, see a doctor. Oral cancers are often painless, making them difficult to diagnosis based on pain. But you can see oral cancer, in many instances, early enough to solve the problem as an out patient.
  • Examine the underside of your tongue by placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Same procedure. See any unusual bumps, lumps, swelling or changes in skin color.
  • Your tongue should have a uniform texture and uniform color. Glide you finger along the underside of your tongue to feel for unseen bumps. Any deviation should be examined by your dentist first to see if a visit to an oncologist is step 2.
  • The roof of the mouth is easy to examine with your eyes and with your fingers. Tilt your head back as you stand in front of a mirror. Position yourself so you get a good view of the entire upper mouth.
  • Perform a visual exam for discoloration. Then gently slide your finger over the roof of your mouth feeling for any kind of protrusion. If you feel anything out of the ordinary, report to your dentist.
Check your Cheeks
  • Visually inspect your cheeks. Extend them (be gentle) to look for red, white or dark-colored patches. Next, place your forefinger on the interior check and your thumb on the outer cheek. Gently squeeze as you rotate you fingers across the entire cheek. This is the best way to detect lumps, bumps or swelling – through the sense of touch. Cheek cancer can often be felt before there are any visible symptoms
Head and Neck
  • Stand with your head straight up in front of a mirror. Usually, your face is uniform, i.e., has the same shape on both sides. However, a lump, bump or other protrusion on one side of the face is a definite signal to see your doctor. It may be nothing, it may be something. In either case, it’s worth checking out and a visit to your family doctor is the best place to start when you first detect unevenness within your facial structure.

Lips

  • The lips are highly sensitive to sunlight and lip cancer is one possible (and unfortunate) result. Open your mouth and examine both the outer and inner lip for changes in color or texture. Gently extend you lips to get the best view of the interior lip area. (You may have to do a little twisting to get the view you want. If so, use a hand mirror to get a good look at the interior lip surface.) Discoloration and protrusions are sometimes early signs of lip cancer. However, you accidently bite your lip, the lips are constantly moving as you talk, you moisten your lips with your tongue and so on, so expect to see changes. Even the seasons change the exterior portion of the lip so dried lips in the middle of winter aren’t a sign of cancer, though you may want to get some chap stick to keep lips moist.

Neck Area

  • This is where the esophagus and larynx are located, but we can’t see that far down our own throats. However, using a feather- light touch, gently slide you fingers along the sides and front of your neck feeling for any lumps that you discover on one side of your neck but not the other. Use your finger tips to gently glide over the skin of your neck feeling for anything out of the ordinary. Next, apply a small amount of pressure as you slide your fingers over the skin. This time note any tenderness, soreness of swelling. So, first a gentle exam, and then add a little pressure to identify any soreness or swelling.
  • You can feel it and hear it – a cough that just doesn’t go away. Often, you chalk it up to a cold, but you don’t have any symptoms of a cold. Just that cough. Smokers may experience “smoker’s” cough that comes and goes. This often occurs when the upper portion of the lungs become irritated.
  • It also occurs when the airway to the lungs becomes irritated and inflamed. Most smokers just live with it, though for many, not as long. Quitting, even for a couple of days, will sometimes clear up a case of smoker’s cough but if you still have a scratchy sore throat even though you’ve given up smoking until your throat feels better, make an appointment to see your doctor.
  • There are some other things you can do to ensure early detection of mouth cancers beside kicking butt. Ask your dentist to perform an examine each time you’re in for a cleaning. Some dental professionals perform this examine routinely. All will be happy to give your mouth and throat a good look if you ask.

IDA Recommendations

Tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable death. Tobacco use kills and secondhand smoke also causes additional deaths. Add on in medical expenditures and through indirect costs due to premature death.

Tobacco use causes lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. Tobacco use is a major risk factor in developing asthma, arthritis, diabetes, stroke, tuberculosis, and ectopic pregnancy – as well as liver, colorectal and other forms of cancer. It also worsens symptoms for people already battling chronic diseases.

  • Increase the price of tobacco.
  • Prohibit free samples of tobacco products or any price reduction strategies.
  • Increase the number of tobacco-free environments.
  • Total ban on consumption of tobacco in any form.
  • Encourage tobacco users to quit.
  • Promoting smoke-free environments and communities.
  • Reduce the influence of tobacco product marketing.
  • Outdoor smoking area compliance to protect from the health risks of secondhand smoke. Smoke free Workplace Law, prohibits smoking in the workplace and within 10 feet of all entrances, exits, and accessibility ramps that lead to and from an entrance or exit, windows and air-intake vents.
  • Increase protections for secondhand smoke among low-income and service-industry employees.
  • Increase the number of TCC Centres for tobacco cessation counseling service, mental and behavioral health guidance to adopt tobacco-free lifestyle.
  • Create incentives for private and public health plans and health care providers to prevent and reduce tobacco use.​
  • Esure availability of comprehensive cessation benefits through private and public health plans.
  • Create tobacco-free private and public health plans, health systems and hospitals.
Tobacco Intervention Initiative

About IDA

Indian Dental Association (IDA) is the national voice for dentistry, aims “to promote the science and art of dentistry and the betterment of public oral health” through effective communication, guidance and thoughtful legislative efforts. We are dedicated to serving the interests of our members and promoting oral health.