Can you summarize this paragraph please? Our patients are experts too! The benefits of listening instead of instructingWhile we are experts in clinical therapies and oral health counselling, our...

Can you summarize this paragraph please? Our patients are experts too! The benefits of listening instead of instructing While we are experts in clinical therapies and oral health counselling, our patients are experts on their lives, their capabilities, what they value, and what they want. Listening to our patients rather than just educating them is the key to finding what motivates them. By utilising motivational interviewing techniques such as asking open-ended questions and actively listening to our patients, we facilitate their autonomy, and develop a rapport. These conversations tell us how much they value their oral health, and the extent of their knowledge about their oral health issues: then we can offer to add to their knowledge by sharing further information. Asking permission to share information enhances their receptiveness to our message. Once our patients become aware of the incongruence between what they value (such as a nice smile, and healthy mouth) and their current health behaviours and they are ready to change, they can tell us what their goals are. We then collaborate to help them decide what they are prepared to do to achieve their goals. They can also choose solutions to address any barriers and ensure their environment is conducive to successful change, such as ridding their home of sugary foods and drinks, or using smartphone apps as reminders. This active involvement of our patients in the decision-making process enhances their self-efficacy, and improves their chances of success. Health behaviour change requires a personalised approach, therefore implementing appropriate health behaviour change methods is vital to any action research project that aims to improve oral health outcomes.