Smoking Cessation Brief Intervention — MFDS Part 1 MCQ
Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.
Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D — Ask and record tobacco use; advise that specialist support plus stop-smoking aids is most effective; act on the patient's response
The correct sequence is **Ask, Advise, Act**, the UK Very Brief Advice model. The dental professional should establish and record tobacco use, advise that the most effective way to stop is through specialist behavioural support combined with stop-smoking aids, and then act on the patient's response by offering referral or other appropriate support. Detailed warnings about oral disease are not the central “Advise” component and may provoke defensiveness. Help should not be withheld until a failed quit attempt, and an interested patient should usually be referred to specialist support rather than managed entirely within the dental practice. Carbon-monoxide testing and prescribing cessation medication are not mandatory components of dental Very Brief Advice.
Reference: Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, Delivering Better Oral Health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention, Chapter 11: Smoking and tobacco use, updated 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention/chapter-11-smoking-and-tobacco-use