Dental Provider Led, Personalized Tobacco Cessation for People Living with HIV

Objectives: For adults with HIV, cigarette smoking increases both HIV-related and non–HIV-related illness and death. This study will assess whether the “newHEIGHTS” program will increase rates of tobacco abstinence in people living with HIV (PLWH). This research aims to translate key research knowledge into an easy-to-use treatment workflow for dental providers and to examine the use of this clinical decision support model to improve the delivery, effectiveness, and overall success in tobacco cessation for PLWH thereby improving their quality of life.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial-single blinded of 272 participants who are HIV+ and use tobacco and is planned, 23 participants are currently enrolled. The trial provides personalized, evidence-based, incentivized onsite tobacco cessation to patients at their home clinic for HIV dental and medical care. The final study population, post implementation of this pilot study is planned to be 272 participants. 3 and 6 month continine/anabasine biological verification of abstinence is planned to confirm cessation and also to determine participant eligibility for the cessation incentive.
Results: This exploratory research reveals that a personalized, dental provider-led, onsite tobacco cessation protocol tailored to known PLWH barriers provides higher than average abstinence. While the study is still on-going, 100% of the enrolled participants have reported a longer period of abstinence than with any other quit attempt. This dental provider-led tobacco cessation clinical workflow model that produces personalized treatment protocols can be used to optimize cessation.

Conclusions: The newHEIGHTS program if successful in producing complete smoking abstinence will ultimately improve quality of life, improve secondary clinical outcomes and decreased smoking-related comorbidities, thereby improving the overall health and well-being of PLWH. The intervention is currently being adapted into an electronic clinical decision-making model to increase dental provider confidence and willingness to provide cessation therapy.