Persuading someone, and respecting a refusal

What this lesson covers

• The station and the actor's brief
• Motivational interviewing, the dental way
• The six steps, with your lines
• Smoking: very brief advice
• Refusals, capacity and what not to do
• How this comes up on the day

The words to use

Delivering Better Oral Health

The government's evidence-based prevention toolkit for dental teams. The 4th edition was published in 2021, with clinical case studies added in 2025.

OARS

Open questions, affirmations, reflections and summaries: the listening skills of motivational interviewing, recommended for dental teams.

Very brief advice

A short smoking intervention: ask about smoking, advise on the most effective way to quit, and act by offering referral to stop smoking support.

Informed refusal

A patient's decision to decline treatment after hearing what it involves and what could happen without it. It is respected and recorded.