Developing dental undergraduates' behaviour change conversation skills: evaluation of a workshop on the Dental RECUR Brief Negotiated Interview

Title: Developing dental undergraduates’ behaviour change conversation skills: Evaluation of a workshop on the Dental RECUR Brief Negotiated Interview.

Objectives: The Dental RECUR Brief Negotiated Interview (DR-BNI) is a behaviour change conversation that draws upon psychological frameworks of disease prevention, behaviour change science, and patient-facing communication skills. This hands-on workshop provided a unique opportunity for dental undergraduate students to, a) develop knowledge and understanding of a novel approach to delivering oral health promotion by using a non-directive, person-centered intervention, and b) gain experience in delivering a behavioural intervention using in vivo practice.

Methods: Seventeen participants completed a pre-evaluation questionnaire measuring their current knowledge of relevant topics, confidence in using relevant skills, and their expectations for the training. All participants then completed a three-hour hands-on workshop to develop competency in delivering the DR-BNI followed by supervised role-play. Lastly, participants completed a post-evaluation questionnaire which assessed the effectiveness of the training, which was quantitatively and qualitatively analysed.

Results: Paired samples t-tests found that participants’ knowledge of all topics including the development of dental caries in children, motivational interviewing, and behaviour change theory significantly increased following the hands-on workshop. Participants’ confidence in all skills including delivering a brief negotiated interview with a dental patient, motivational interviewing, and exploring a dental patients’ readiness to change also significantly increased. Thematic analysis of post-evaluation responses identified themes related to developing topic knowledge, skill building, and application to their current and future roles as being reasons for positive feedback.

Conclusions: Training in the DR-BNI can be effective at increasing dental undergraduates’ knowledge, confidence, and skill in delivering a behaviour change conversation. The DR-BNI represents a useful model for training students in motivational interviewing, the development of childhood caries, and behavioural approaches to disease prevention.