Consistent evidence makes it possible to affirm that the main etiology of oral diseases is the formation and persistence of bacterial biofilms on dental surfaces.
Despite controlling dental biofilm being of paramount importance for preventing the most prevalent oral diseases and to maintain treatments, patients have difficulty adhering.
It’s like a mantra to recommend the importance of interproximal biofilm control in combination with toothbrushing to reduce gingivitis. However, most patients fail to correctly use these means of controlling dental biofilm in the long term and to turn up for recall appointments. Professionals, generally aware of this issue, seem to restrict their actions toward changing the dental hygiene behavior of their patients primarily by verbally transmitting information during treatment.
The identification of strategies, other than those geared toward simply raising awareness or exhorting action, is an important step to bring about a sustained behavioral change in patients. Behavior change techniques such as reinforcement, goal-setting, and feedback have been shown to aid the implementation of new behaviors, such as in biofilm control.
We sought to discuss and reflect whether the use of specific behavior change techniques in the context of a dental appointment, contribute to increasing oral health and also to increase the social representation of the dental hygienist.