Methods: Patients receiving care in a large University dental clinic were asked to complete a screening survey that included questions on demography, general physical health status, at-risk alcohol use and nicotine dependence. Adults who were both smokers and at-risk drinkers were randomized into one of four experimental conditions: a smoking-only BI group, a drinking-only BI group, a combined smoking and drinking BI group, or a two-month wait-list control group. Patients assigned to one of the three active conditions received an immediate brief intervention prior to their dental appointment. Nicotine replacement therapy was offered to participants who were in the smoking cessation groups. With a study sample of 300 patients, this abstract presents two-month follow-up data on 154 participants.
Results: Controlling for age and baseline severity of alcohol use and nicotine dependence, repeated measures analysis of co-variance indicates significant time by treatment group interactions for each of three primary outcome measures. Compared to the control group, test group participants significantly reduced both the number of days they drank per week (F3,147 =2.99; P=.033) and the number of drinks per drinking day (F3,141 =2.80; P=.042) regardless of the treatment intervention received. Test group participants also significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked per day (F3,148 =6.38; P<.001), regardless of their treatment group assignment, compared to the control group.
Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest that smokers who are also at-risk drinkers tend to reduce both risk behaviors simultaneously when one or both are the subject of an office-based brief intervention.