The tobacco and nicotine industry targets healthcare professionals, particularly dentists.

An article published by the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG), which is part of the Center for 21st Century Public Health^e A century-old study from the University of Bath highlights how the tobacco and nicotine industry seeks to collaborate with dental professionals as part of a broader strategy to promote its new products and influence public perception.[1].

Why dentistry is being targeted by industry

Faced with the global decline in traditional smoking, tobacco companies are no longer content with simply selling cigarettes but are also developing products such as heated tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches, presenting them as "harm reduction" options. This strategy is accompanied by increasingly targeted communication efforts aimed at healthcare professionals, through webinars, training events, specialized publications, and research partnerships.

Philip Morris, for example, reportedly organized or sponsored webinars, in addition to magazine articles and podcasts, aimed at dental professionals in Germany, highlighting alternative products as possible solutions for smokers. In Japan, similar strategies were employed with healthcare professionals as part of broader efforts to bolster the credibility of Philip Morris's IQOS heated tobacco products. This close relationship raises concerns about the independence of healthcare professionals in the face of actors whose commercial interests are directly tied to nicotine consumption.

Dentists occupy a strategic position, as they regularly see patients and often provide highly valued preventative advice. For the industry, this professional audience is therefore particularly useful for lending credibility to messages about so-called "new generation" nicotine products.

Oral health prevention and smoking cessation promotion naturally fall within the scope of dental teams' work, making it easier to blur the line between medical advice and marketing messages. It is precisely this blurring of boundaries that the authors denounce, pointing out that the rhetoric of "harm reduction" can serve industrial interests before serving public health.

More broadly, this close relationship between tobacco manufacturers and dentists points to a recurring strategy aimed at dividing health actors and promoting health professionals, who would take up their arguments and thus constitute a scientific endorsement in support of their lobbying and favorable regulatory actions.

The instrumentalization of the concept of "risk reduction" for commercial purposes

The authors cite the position of the FDI World Dental Federation, according to which dental professionals should not recommend e-cigarettes or heated tobacco as substitutes for traditional tobacco or as smoking cessation tools, due to a lack of sufficient safety evidence. However, validated treatments exist and should be prescribed by these healthcare professionals as part of their patients' care or for preventative purposes. In other words, the issue is not only scientific but also ethical, as it concerns the trust placed in preventative messages.

A question of reliability, independence and transparency

The study reiterates that, according to the WHO, there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the tobacco industry and public health objectives. The authors therefore believe it is essential to maintain a clear separation between professional healthcare activities and initiatives supported by tobacco companies. The researchers point out that professional organizations have a crucial role to play in establishing clear rules regarding funding, continuing education, and potential partnerships, with a complete rejection of any direct or indirect link to the tobacco sector. For example, the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR) and the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) have already adopted policies aimed at protecting research and professional activities from the influence of the tobacco industry.

Furthermore, the authors call for raising awareness among these professionals regarding the practices and objectives of the tobacco and vaping industries. Larissa Al-Uar, co-author of the article and a dentist, notes that« Dental professional training often focuses on the health effects of tobacco. Expanding it to include an understanding of new nicotine products, smoking cessation methods, and industry strategies would allow practitioners to address this topic with greater confidence. Raising awareness among professionals is a crucial first step to ensuring that dental teams can continue to provide reliable and independent advice to their patients. ".

The fight against tobacco is therefore not limited to regulating products or raising taxes. It also involves protecting training spaces, conferences, and professional networks from the influence of tobacco manufacturers., which is growing worldwide.

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[1]Dance S., Silver K., Al-Uar L., Matthes BK, Big tobacco and the dental team: what you need to know,BDJ Team, published May 15, 2026, accessed July 9, 2026