In this video, the provider asks closed-ended questions during a caries risk assessment with an adolescent patient to show how ineffective they can be. Often, closed-ended questions promote disengagement and provide little useful information. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, often result in more descriptive answers and increase engagement from patients.
This video is part of the “Using Motivational Interviewing in Dentistry” series, which highlights skills and techniques used to effectively engage with patients and to encourage them to become designers of their own oral health care. Motivational interviewing promotes trust and collaboration between the care team and caregiver/patient and is a foundational skill of person-centered care.