The first stop is scheduled for October 13 at The Bridges Shopping Centre in Sunderland. The South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust team will offer smoking cessation advice there from 9am to 4pm.
Four community stops are planned across the North East during October 2026. The trust's Oral Health Promotion Team will explain how smoking affects the mouth, teeth and gums. It will also share information about stopping smoking.
Stoptober is the annual UK public health campaign that encourages smokers to quit for 28 days during October.
NHS services are using Stoptober 2026 to promote a 28-day quit attempt, with the widely cited message that people who stop smoking for 28 days are five times more likely to quit for good.
Where residents can meet the team
On October 14, the team will visit The Library in Washington Galleries from 9am to 12.30pm. It will also be at Hebburn Central from 9am to 4pm. The final listed event is at Trinity Square in Gateshead on October 22, from 9am to 4pm.
Residents will find the team in shopping and public spaces. They can ask about stopping smoking and learn how tobacco affects oral health.
The NHS England Better Health pathway presents Stoptober alongside app-based support and local stop-smoking services. The October challenge is part of a wider support offer.
National guidance recommends combining medication with behavioural support to give people the best chance of stopping successfully, rather than relying on willpower alone.
A prevention message built around the mouth
The trust said on social media: "Smoking can affect your mouth, teeth and gums, and stopping can be a positive step towards a healthier smile and a healthier you." The message links quitting with a healthier mouth as well as wider health.
A community focus also appears in a related tobacco-risk report from Udaipur. That report described oral examinations and advice. The South Tyneside and Sunderland team is focused on prevention and stopping smoking, not screening.
NHS dental teams connect tobacco cessation with oral-health prevention. Their advice includes regular dental checks. A lump, bump or ulcer that lasts more than three weeks should be assessed by a dentist or doctor.
Smoking raises the risk of gum disease. It can also harm the mouth, teeth and gums. Quitting can improve oral-health outcomes.
That advice is practical.
English NHS and council services are also promoting Stoptober in late September and early October 2026. The activity includes local drop-in sessions in North Lincolnshire. The campaign is active across several areas, not limited to one local event.
South Tyneside and Sunderland is taking the campaign into places residents already use. The 28-day challenge is tied to a clear everyday reason to quit: a healthier smile.
