Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Behavioral Intervention in Tobacco Cessation-A Tertiary Hospital-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION

The effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) on smokeless tobacco (SLT) users is underexplored in India, with prior research primarily focusing on smokers. This study assessed and compared the effectiveness of combining behavioral intervention (BI) and NRT with BI alone on smoking and SLT cessation.

METHODS

This 1.5-year prospective, open-label, three-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Tobacco Cessation Clinic, SCB Dental College and Hospital, Odisha, India. The three intervention groups-BI, BI + nicotine patch, and BI + nicotine gum-were assessed using a prevalidated proforma on sociodemographics, relevant medical and dental history, oral hygiene practices, and previous tobacco use patterns.

RESULTS

The study enrolled 130 participants. At 26 weeks, 63.3% (19/30) in the BI + patch and 52.9% (18/34) in the BI + gum achieved abstinence, compared to 24.1% (7/29) in the BI group. The odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI); p-value of abstinence was 6.03 (1.90-19.15; p = .003) for BI + patch, and 3.25 (1.08-9.78; p = .035) for BI + gum. Among SLT users, abstinence was achieved in 70.59% (12/17) with BI + patch (OR 6.40, 95% CI: 1.57-26.03; p = .010) and 53.85% (14/26) with BI + gum (OR 3.11, 95% CI: .92-10.47; p = .067) versus 27.27% (6/22) with BI alone. Both intervention groups demonstrated significantly reduced relapse risk versus BI alone (Hazard ratio [HR] 0.45, 95% CI: .24-.83; p = .011) for BI + patch and HR 0.40, 95% CI: .22-.74; p = .003 for BI + gum.

CONCLUSION

Combination therapy (BI + NRT) is more effective than BI alone. The BI + patch combination is more effective than BI + gum and BI alone. The NRT intervention groups had higher abstinence rates and reduced relapses than the standard BI group. Further studies are required to validate these findings.