OBJECTIVES: Tobacco has been identified as a major risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease. Adults rarely visit their physicians for preventive care. But surveys have shown that more than half of adult smokers see a dentist each year for preventive care. This may put dentists in a better position to implement tobacco cessation interventions. The aim of the study was to investigate the tobacco cessation interventions conducted by dental practitioners in Japan. METHODS: The study used a survey mailed to dentists (n=1489) in three prefectures (Tokyo, Iwate, Yamanashi) asking about the practitioners’ tobacco cessation activities, patient demographic characteristics, barriers to counseling, and attitudes towards tobacco in 2008. RESULTS: The response rate was 57% (n=847). Dentists advised 22% of patients to cease tobacco. More than half of them used a pamphlet or other printed materials. However, nicotine replacement therapy was prescribed infrequently (nicotine patches in 3.2% and nicotine gum in 2.2% of patients). Asked whether dentists should perform tobacco cessation interventions in their offices, 76% said yes. The main barrier to cessation counseling was insufficient time, followed by a lack of knowledge and tobacco cessation specialists to whom to refer patients. 85% of respondents had no education or training in promoting tobacco cessation. Twenty-two percent of all respondents were smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Few dentists perform tobacco cessation interventions in their offices. Nicotine replacement therapy was hardly prescribed at all. Dentists have a positive attitude towards tobacco cessation interventions and appear amenable to education and a more active role in performing tobacco cessation interventions in their offices.