Following this session, the attendee should be able to:

• Discuss patient educational interventions to improve oral self-care behaviors.
• Identify tools that can be used to engage patients to participate in monitoring their oral health status.
• Discuss the P4 approach to coaching patients towards achieving whole mouth health.

Despite advances in preventive dental care, global oral health statistics reflect rates of caries and periodontal disease that are not improving. The burden of poor oral health compromises oral comfort and function, nutrition, and psychosocial and systemic health. Oral health is directly impacted by the social determinants of health. Providing normative oral health education through traditional methods has not proven effective at changing behavior or improving oral health and hygiene. Today’s consumers want to partner with their healthcare providers to set goals, select and implement provider-recommended interventions, and monitor their progress towards improving their health.
This program will review best practices for empowering patients to become active participants in their care. Examples of successful interventions to engage patients in their oral self-care will be presented based upon published literature grounded in behavioral change theories. The new model for coaching patients adopts the P4 approach to patient-centered healthcare: predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory. Partnering with patients encourages bidirectional communication, adoption of recommendations, and enhanced engagement to promote better oral health. The overarching goal is to help patients achieve whole mouth health which is essential to whole person health.

This webinar was recorded on Jan. 11, 2021.

The content of this program was current as of January 2022.