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.
