Motivational interviewing 1 article

Motivational interviewing is a collaborative counselling method used to explore ambivalence and strengthen a person's own reasons for change. In dentistry it can be applied to oral hygiene, smoking cessation, diet, attendance or other self-care behaviours without relying on confrontation or prescriptive advice alone. The approach uses open questions, reflective listening and elicitation of change talk, making it distinct from a standard information-giving session; the patient remains the source of goals and decisions about behaviour.