Dental Practices declare smoke-free outdoor areas

Family Orthodontics and Thomas K. Frawley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, located on Route 60 in Fredonia, announced the creation of tobacco free outdoor areas on their property.

The dental health center is collaborating with the Tri County Tobacco Free Programs to reduce secondhand smoke, reduce litter, and model healthy behaviors for both children and adults.

Dr. Matthew E. Fortna of Family Orthodontics stated, "We are here to support our patients with achieving their best oral health and encourage our patients to model good behavior, including tobacco free lifestyle. We especially need to encourage children not to start smoking. The children and family members visiting our location deserve tobacco free entrances and tobacco free outdoor areas. Cigarette smoke rolls into open windows and vents compromising the good health of those in and around our building. Our tobacco free outdoor areas border Fredonia School, where no smoking is permitted. This is a nice way to partner with the tobacco-free message, keep our property clean from cigarette butts and protect our environment."

Dr. Thomas Frawley added "Tobacco cessation and routine oral exams are extremely important not only for maintaining proper oral hygiene but also for the early detection of oral cancer.

It is estimated that there will be approximately 40,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed in the United States in 2012. Partnering with the Tri-County Tobacco Free Programs allows us to create an environment that will hopefully lead to fewer oral cancers in the future."

New signs are posted at the property located at 10261 Route 60, in Fredonia.

Laurie Adams, Tri-County Tobacco Free Programs Director explains, "The Surgeon General has classified secondhand smoke as a class A carcinogen a substance known to cause cancer. There's no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. If you can smell it, secondhand smoke is harming you. Butts are a danger to our children and to the environment. We applaud Family Orthodontics and Dr. Frawley for caring about the youth and adults visiting their facility and we ask all adults to please observe the policy."

Public support for outdoor tobacco use restrictions is growing. The new tobacco free dental center joins the list of over 400 locations across NY State who have established tobacco free outdoor areas, including Times Square and Central Park in NY City.