May 2009: Changes to the Clinical Tobacco Intervention (CTI) Program

NB: This message is only for Ontario Dental Association members and others on the dental team. Please contact the CTI or Continuing Education representative at your own association (Ontario Medical or Ontario Pharmacists Association) to see what changes are being made to the CTI program for physicians and pharmacists.

Attention Members of the Oral Health Care Team:

Due to the lack of renewed funding from the Ministry of Health Promotion, CTI is now in the process of becoming an entirely online self – serve program. Over the next few months, a number of CTI resources will be transferred from this website onto the ODA’s Member website.

Eventually, ODA members will be able to access:

  • Current and past editions of the CTI Bulletin newsletter in pdf format
  • Both of our online E-Learning Modules, Clinical Tobacco Intervention for Health Care Professionals and A Focus on Clinical Tobacco Interventions for Youth
  • Important tobacco cessation contacts and information
  • Access to registration and information for the Quit Connection Program
  • Downloadable order form for CTI hard copy materials
  • Useful links and public information for tobacco cessation


How do I get to the Members only site for access to CTI resources?

Follow the link below: https://memberupdate.oda.ca/oda/MemberRegistration/Login.aspx


Additional information will be sent out to members as updates occur. We appreciate your patience as we work on creating a new online space for all your CTI resources!


If you have any questions about the changes taking place in CTI, please contact: Linda Samek, Director of Professional Affairs at the Ontario Dental Association 416-355-2263 or LSamek@oda.ca


What is Clinical Tobacco Intervention (CTI)?

The CTI Program is a cooperative effort between the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association (OPA) and the Ontario Dental Association (ODA). CTI provides a systematic approach to help medical, dental, and pharmacy professionals assist their patients to stop using tobacco products.

CTI provides an evidence-based approach to enhance the tobacco cessation interventions of health care practitioners, namely physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and their support staff, through the dissemination of education kits and continuing education programs.

Each association works to increase the awareness, role, and quality of CTI program delivery to their members.

Evaluation of program activities is essential to the success of CTI. To this end, pilot projects and surveys of professional groups are conducted.

Latest News
CTI Bulletin
New Issue
Tobacco Cessation Pharmacology & Waterpipes


NEW Health Canada Interactive Presentation - Tobacco: Behind the Smoke
Follow the link to access a great resource from Health Canada on the life of tobacco from seed to cigarette and how the chemicals in tobacco products are formed. A great resource to use for tobacco cessation teaching or referring clients too.


Updated Health Canada info for Varenicline (Champix)
New information for Health Professionals on Varenicline as a tobacco cessation aid.


2008 Updated Clinical Guidelines
Follow the link to access the entire PDF document


Tobacco Marketing
Check out tobacco ads over the last 50 years and more!


Newly available from CTI
Local Cessation Services 2008 update now complete


Now Available - New Online Module!
E-Learning Module - Youth and Smoking Cessation: Meeting the Challenges. To access the module please click the E-Learning tab on the left hand side and complete the registration information.


New Feature!
Now you can order CTI materials online! Select the 'Materials' tab and click on your association logo to activate the order form.


No Show and Cancellation Policy
CTI has implemented a “No Show and Cancellation” policy.


Two of the most popular CTI resources are now available in French!
Click above to find out more!


How does CTI work?

Through education and promotion, CTI provides health care practitioners with tools to identify tobacco users and assist patients in their attempts to quit.
Welcome to CTI

What are the principles of CTI?

  • ASK - patients about smoking status.
  • ADVISE - patients about the health risks of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting.
  • ASSESS - patients’ readiness to quit.
  • ASSIST - patients that are ready to quit.
  • ARRANGE - follow up.
These principles can be applied through comprehensive intervention or minimal contact intervention, which is a brief two-to-three minute intervention also applying the above principles of CTI to a patient who smokes.

Why is CTI important?

In Canada, approximately 37,000 deaths per year are attributable to smoking. Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death and disease in Canada. It is estimated that smoking prematurely kills three times more Canadians than car accidents, suicides, drug abuse, murder and AIDS combined. In 1991, smoking-related deaths accounted for about 62% of the overall increase in deaths from 1989.

In 1991, smoking accounted for an estimated $2.5 billion in health care costs, $1.5 billion for residential care costs, $2 billion from workers’ absenteeism and $10.5 billion in lost future earnings, totaling $16.5 billion. Research indicates that health care professionals can play a significant role in patients’ smoking cessation efforts and that patients themselves are receptive to such advice and assistance.

History of CTI

The Clinical Tobacco Intervention Program began in 1996 at the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Association and two other provincial medical associations.

In 1999, the OMA joined with the OPA and ODA and submitted the proposal “Mobilizing Ontario Health Care Professionals for Clinical Tobacco Intervention” that received funding from the Government of Ontario.
Ontario Pharmacists' Association       Ontario Medical Association      Ontario Dental Association