Dental News - Smoking rates continue to drop steadily in England

Dental Tribune UK

Mon. 2. September 2019

save

LONDON, UK: Cigarette smoking rates in England have been in a steady decline since the 1970s, according to the Office for National Statistics. Whereas 45.6% of adults smoked in 1974, just 15.1% did in 2018. New research funded by the charity Cancer Research UK has shown that this effectively translates into 1.4 billion fewer cigarettes smoked each year, or 118 million fewer cigarettes per month.

The study was conducted by researchers from University College London (UCL), who looked at cigarette sales data from 2011 to 2018 before comparing it with the self-reported monthly cigarette intake of participants in the Smoking Toolkit Study.

On the whole, the results of each set of data were closely correlated. The sales data showed a decline of 24.1% for the average number of cigarettes sold monthly, compared with the decline of 24.4% that was recorded in the Smoking Toolkit Study.

Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, from UCL’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, told Cancer Research UK in an interview: “It’s brilliant that over a billion fewer cigarettes are being sold and smoked in England every year. The decline in national cigarette consumption has been dramatic and exceeded the decline in smoking prevalence. This means that not only are fewer people smoking, but those who continue to smoke are smoking less.”

“Studies like this help to give us an accurate picture of cigarette consumption so we know where we’re at and what more needs to be done,” Jackson continued.

“It’s great news that fewer cigarettes are being sold and smoked,” added George Butterworth, Senior Policy Manager at Cancer Research UK. “Big tobacco said that introducing stricter regulation wouldn’t work and campaigned against it, but this is proof that smoking trends are heading in the right direction.”

“Smoking is still the biggest preventable cause of cancer, and certain groups have much higher rates of smoking, such as routine and manual workers, so we can’t stop here. We need the government to fix the funding crisis in local stop smoking services. The tobacco industry could be made to pay for these services to clean up the mess their products have created,” Butterworth added.

The study, titled “Comparison of trends in self-reported cigarette consumption and sales in England, 2011 to 2018”, was published in the August 2019 issue of JAMA Network Open.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Study links tooth growth patterns to smoking history

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, England: The systematic and oral health effects of smoking are well established, including reduced calcium absorption, altered vitamin ...

An already powerful dental technology continues to grow in sophistication

The technology of clear aligners has revolutionised modern orthodontics, offering an aesthetic and comfortable alternative to fixed appliances. Since its ...

Mouth cancer incidence in England hits all-time high

LEEDS, England: Recent epidemiological studies and global cancer surveillance indicate a significant increase in the incidence and mortality rates of mouth ...

Omicron and NHS targets: Dentists in England struggle to restore services

LONDON, UK: Since the English government has decided to ease some of the COVID-19 restrictions just as the winter season has arrived, some professional ...

Oversubscribed dentistry degrees in England: Students offered payment to switch university

LONDON, UK: The UK government has adjusted the cap for medical and dentistry courses for 2021 in order to support the National Health Service workforce of ...

England and Wales set to collaborate on dental care

LONDON, England: Dental care across the UK is now in a critical state. Inadequate public funding, personnel shortages and unavailability of appointments are...

UK dentists expect drop in earnings, patient numbers in 2021

LONDON, UK: A new report commissioned by the General Dental Council (GDC) has found that UK dental professionals are pessimistic about being able to meet ...

Dentistry in England: A national disgrace?

LONDON, UK: The British government has recently published the much-anticipated recovery plan for National Health Service (NHS) dentistry in a policy paper, ...

Four days of endodontics—ROOTS SUMMIT to continue legacy in Prague

PRAGUE, Czech Republic: The 2020 event had been postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and was held as a virtual meeting in 2021. Now, the organisers of ...

Drop in orthodontic case starts spooks Align Technology investors

SAN JOSE, Calif., US: The world’s largest clear aligner treatment provider has alerted investors to a substantial slowdown in new orthodontic appointments...

Education

Live webinar
Mon. 13 April 2026
1:00 pm EST (New York)