A recent UNC-Chapel Hill study suggests that EHS staff advice and support can improve the chances of getting a child to that early dentist visit, but not necessarily improve home dental care. How do you optimize your effectiveness when communicating with the parents in your program?
Motivational Interviewing can help. It’s a different way to communicate with parents that is more collaborative and supportive. Best of all, it works. Want to improve interactions with parents? These 7 Tooth Talk Tips can help:
1. Have a short agenda when talking with parents.
2. Never ask more than 3 open-ended questions.
3. Always focus on the good.
4. Be ready with an affirmation/reflection for each question the parent answers.
5. Ask permission to share resources and tips.
6. Then, share only 2 – 3 brief points.
7. If you don’t know something, say so and promise to find out. Follow through on your promise.
To learn more about motivational interviewing and how to help parents improve their children’s dental health, see the video:
