PREVALÊNCIA DE TABAGISMO ENTRE ADOLESCENTES ESCOLARES E SEUS CONHECIMENTOS SOBRE EFEITOS NA SAÚDE BUCAL: UM ESTUDO TRANSVERSAL

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Smoking is a serious public health problem, causing both systemic and oral diseases, including oral cancer. Smoking initiation often occurs during adolescence. There is a lack of studies about adolescents' level of knowledge regarding the effects of smoking on oral health. AIM: To describe the prevalence of smoking indicators among high school adolescents and analyze their level of knowledge regarding the effects of smoking on oral health and associated factors. METHODOLOGY: A quantitative cross-sectional study involving adolescents aged 13 to 19 attending high school in a federal public school. In their classrooms, participants answered a printed questionnaire containing 32 closed-ended questions about sociodemographic data, smoking, and its effects on oral health. Descriptive and association analyses between variables were conducted using the Student's t-test for independent samples, with a statistical significance level of 5%. RESULTS: A total of 219 students participated in the study. The knowledge score regarding the effects of smoking on oral health ranged from 49 to 80 points (Mean=65.8; Standard Deviation=6.8). Adolescents who self-identified as white had a higher level of knowledge about the effects of smoking on oral health compared to those identifying as black, brown, or yellow (p=0.033). The group aged 17 or older had greater knowledge compared to those aged 16 or younger (p=0.028). Those who had consumed tobacco products showed greater knowledge compared to those who had not (p=0.012). CONCLUSION: Factors associated with the level of knowledge regarding the effects of smoking on oral health were sociodemographic and smoking status.