Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons^™

Using Motivational Interviewing To Increase Confidence In Nutritional Counseling Among Dental Hygienists: A Pilot Study, Heather M. Anderson, Sarah Jackson, Lisa Bilich, Craig Hunt, Elizabeth Tipton

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Dental hygienists have the unique opportunity to educate patients on connections between nutrition and oral health. Dental hygiene students are introduced to these concepts but struggle to gain confidence to share this knowledge with patients. This pilot study looked at an educational module on motivational interviewing (MI) and an assessment and counseling tool to build student confidence with nutritional counseling. Methods: Dental hygiene students participated in an educational module to review MI and introduce a nutritional risk assessment and counseling tool. Prior to the module, participants completed a pretest about confidence levels regarding MI and nutritional counseling. After three …