Tobacco Treatment Specialist

Tobacco Use Disorder is a chronic relapsing disease and remains the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Smoking causes multiple health disparities such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, loss of dental periodontium and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Youth tobacco use, including vaping, harms the part of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control. Nicotine use by children and young adults worsens anxiety, irritability, compulsive behaviors and increases a depression diagnosis by 2.4 times, compared to never users. Vaping stiffens arteries and has similar risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease as cigarette smoking.

Tobacco Treatment Specialists are able to target an individual’s nicotine addiction level and provide effective, evidence-based interventions using pharmacotherapy and counseling. The tailored approach has proven to have greater tobacco abstinence rates when compared to traditional methods.

Tobacco treatment specialists (TTS) may engage not only in providing tobacco-use disorder treatment, but also in educating others (health care professionals, administrators, scientists, educators) about tobacco dependence treatments.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the science behind tobacco addiction and nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
• Inform clients/students about the consequences of tobacco use disorder.
• Develop effective, individualized tobacco use disorder treatment plans for all types of tobacco and nicotine use.
• Track tobacco use abstinence progress and outcome measures.
• Educate other providers and the public across a wide range of settings.

For more information, please visit https://dentistry.wvu.edu/continuing-education/tobacco-treatment-training-program/ or contact M. Suann Gaydos at mgaydos@hsc.wvu.edu.