Cigarettes: A Case Study Essay

The chemical structure of a cigarette contains over 4,800 different compounds (Saha, Bhalla, Whayne, & Gairola, 2017). The chemical compounds in cigarettes contain many different types of gases and toxic properties. Approximately 100 of these compounds are considered carcinogens, cocarcinogens, and mutagens (Saha et al., 2016). The gases associated with a cigarette include formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and a number of other gases (Saha et al., 2016). The chemicals found in cigarettes can potentially lead to negative effect on the oral cavity and the over health of an individual.
Potential health effects associated with cigarettes include cardiovascular disease, oral and pharyngeal cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease …show more content…
Tobacco cessation programs help to educate the patient on the effects associated with the oral cavity and long term effects on the overall body. If the patient is accepting of tobacco counseling, the Five A’s Approach can be used to assess the patient 's willingness to quit (Darby & Walsh, 2015). The first step is to assess the patient 's use of tobacco (Darby & Walsh, 2015). The second step is to advise the patient to quit smoking by pointing out intraoral signs of tobacco use to the patient in a nonjudgmental way (Darby & Walsh, 2015). The third step involves assessing the patient 's readiness to quit (Darby & Walsh, 2015). For example, using a scale from 1 to 10 will evaluate how important quitting is to the patient. Incorporating a quit date will also help to motivate the patient to quit. The methods used to help the individual quit using tobacco products include cold turkey, gradual nicotine reduction, brand switching, and tapering down use method (Darby & Walsh, 2015). The cold turkey method is referred to as quitting tobacco use abruptly (Darby & Walsh, 2015). Gradual nicotine reduction is the process of reducing the amount of nicotine slowly (Darby & Walsh, 2015). Brand switching is referred to as switching to a brand of a lower level of nicotine (Darby & Walsh, 2015). Tapering down is referred to as reducing the amount of tobacco little by little over a period of time (Darby & Walsh, 2015). Explaining each method will help to determine the best method for that specific patient. The fourth step involves assisting the patient through patient-centered-communication (Darby & Walsh, 2015). The last step is arranging a follow up to address where the patient is by means of quitting or still considering quitting (Darby & Walsh,