(a) Make the advice specific, give a child a personal problem to solve.
(b) Give simple and precise information.
(c) Do not suggest goals of behaviour change which are beyond a patient's capacity
to achieve.
(d) Check the message has been understood and not misinterpreted.
(e) Offer advice in such a way that the child and parents are not threatened or
blamed.
(f) If you are trying to improve oral hygiene avoid theoretical discussions, offer a
practical demonstration.
(g) At follow-up visits reinforce the advice and offer positive reinforcement.
The final part of the health education activity is goal setting. The dentist sets out in
simple terms what the patient should try and achieve by the next visit. It implies a
form of contract and as such helps both children and parents to gain a clearer insight
into how they all can help to improve the child's oral health. Goal setting must be used
sensibly. If goals are manifestly impossible then parents and child patients become
disillusioned. Parents feel that the dentist does not understand their problems and
complain that they are being blamed for any dental shortcomings. So always ensure
that you plan goal setting carefully in a positive and friendly manner.
- Dismissal. This is the final part of the visit and should be clearly signposted so that
everyone knows that the appointment is over. The patient should be addressed by
name and a definite farewell offered (Fig. 2.10). The objective should be to ensure
that wherever possible the patient and parents leave with a sense of goodwill.
Clearly, not all appointment sessions can be dissected into these six stages. However,
the basic element of according the patient the maximum attention and personalizing
your comments should never be forgotten.
Fig. 2.8 Always greet your patient by name. (With thanks to David Myers and
kind permission of Eden Bianchi Press.)