Prevalence of tobacco habits among dental students in Jammu

Introduction: Every eight seconds someone, somewhere in the world, dies as a result of tobacco use. It has been reported that there is an increased trend of tobacco habits among the heathcare students perusing healthcare education like any other youths. Methodology: A questionnaire based study to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among undergraduate students of Indira Gandhi Dental College Campus in Jammu on 170 students. Global Health professional students survey (GHPSS), survey questionnaire given by (CDC) centre for disease control Athlanta which is a standard pre-tested questionnaire for assessing prevalence of tobacco use among health care professionals around the world was used. Results: The present study showed 34.7 % prevalence of smoking and 17.6 % prevalence of chewing tobacco. This reflect alarming situation and demands urgent anti tobacco & tobacco cessation measures to be adopted by health professionals, who happens to be health promoters & health role models for society.