The objective of the study was to determine the attitude of general dentists in Riyadh towards smoking intervention in their young patients. A questionnaire was utilized to obtain the dentists’ opinion about their level of responsibility, effectiveness and confidence in smoking intervention. A total of 208 general dentists completed the questionnaire. A significant (P<.05) majority of the respondents (62.5%) thought to “some extent” or “great extent” that, it was part of their responsibility to help young patients in smoking cessation. However, the respondents were less optimistic about the effectiveness of their counseling in smoking cessation, as 37.0% thought that the counseling will not be “effective at all” and 38.5% as only “moderately effective”. Majority (59.2%) of the respondents were either “not at all” or only “somewhat confident” of their ability in helping their young patients in smoking cessation. Only 35.6% of the respondents have attended a formal course/training on smoking cessation and prevention. It can be concluded that, majority of general dentists perceive smoking intervention as part of their responsibility. However, there is a clear evidence of lack of confidence and doubt about its effectiveness.