Assessing patients' health behaviours. Essential steps for motivating patients to adopt and maintain behaviours conducive to oral health.

This chapter provides a summary of various approaches to behaviour change in oral health. The current research evidence does not support the practice of giving 'instructions' or 'advice' to patients as a means of modifying their attitudes or changing their health behaviours. A number of explanatory models are described which address both the complexity and the factors that influence and predict an individual's health behaviour. A practical guide of what should be assessed and professional assumptions which may be made to assist patients change and maintain their health behaviours are provided. The potential for difficulty during this assessment period is raised since this awareness will allow for flexibility when negotiating with patients to help them develop strategies to modify, change and maintain their health behaviours. Thus, the last part of the chapter describes new approaches that rely on multiple models that focus on patients' or recipients' beliefs, desired goals and readiness to change which are preferable to the traditional patient education approaches in dentistry. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel