Dr Lluís Giner
Lluís Giner, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry of the International University of Catalonia and full academician of the Royal European Academy of Doctors-Barcelona 1914 (RAED), has published in the Spanish edition of the magazine “Dental Tribune”, which arrives to about 100,000 professionals in the sector, the article “Tabaco, salud oral y salud general” (Tobacco, oral health and general health), where he reflects on the dangers of tobacco, whose consumption has recently increased among young people after years of decline among the general population.
In the article, the academician outlines the conclusions of the debate that the Royal Academy held on June 3, coinciding with the call to the fight against smoking promoted by the World Health Organization. The session, which was held in Barcelona, was attended by experts as Francesc Abella, director of the Addictions Unit of the Saint Mary’s Hospital in Lleida; Esteve Fernández, director of the Smoking Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology; Esteve Saltó, head of health programs of the Ministry of Health of the Catalan Government and the full academician José Ramón Calvo, president of the Institute of International Cooperation of the RAED, in addition to Giner himself.
“All the speakers agree that, in Spain, an important path has been taken in raising public awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco, since in the last decade there had been a decrease in the number of smokers, partly also thanks to the Tobacco law of 2005 and its hardening in 2010. However, it should be noted that in the last two years there has been a regrowth of tobacco consumption, being twice in women than in men, again reaching figures similar to those of 2005, estimating that this habit, to a greater or lesser extent, affects almost 25% of the population, and what worries most, with an important incidence in young people and adolescents”, considers the academician.
Giner explains how at the International University of Catalonia, the fight against smoking has been influenced, with a specific subject for students of Dentistry that isn’t currently taught. And he says that the dentist is in a unique position to fight against smoking, since he sees patients from a young age and on many occasions for many years.
Doctor of Medicine and Surgery, Giner entered as full academician of the RAED during a ceremony that was held on April 3 with the admission speech “Los dientes: del comer al lucir. Evolución de los materiales odontológicos y cambios sociales” (Teeth: from eating to looking. Evolution of dental materials and social changes), where he affects the importance that not only for health, but for personal aesthetics, it has a healthy and, logically, nicotine-free denture.
