Testing Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Among Outpatients in a Dental Setting

Alcohol Addiction, Mouth Diseases

drinksmeter, alcohol counselling

The investigators wish to investigate the feasibility of using a web based drinking app (www.drinksmeter.com) to reduce alcohol consumption among patients attending an outpatient clinic in a dental setting.

Any intervention on alcohol use is relevant to patients attending an oral medicine clinic, as alcohol can contribute to/or worsen mouth disorders. For example, research confirms that white and red patches of the lining of the mouth in regular tobacco and alcohol users can change to mouth cancer. Many people do not know that drinking alcohol would increase their mouth cancer risk. Any new or follow-up patients attending our clinic and reporting drinking over the recommended guidelines (as given by European Code Against Cancer) will be eligible to participate. The study will start on the first visit to the clinic and/or at their follow-up visit. For each volunteer the study will last 3 months. Participants will be allocated to two groups, those receiving routine brief counselling on the day of their visit and those to whom a web-based electronic tool to self-assess is introduced. They will be motivated to use it in the following weeks to reduce consumption . The study will evaluate alcohol consumption levels using tested questionnaires at base-line and exit. The investigators will assess the feasibility of the use of an electronic tool in our study population, whether it provided better outcomes compared to standard care.

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United Kingdom