Maria Llanes

Oral health literacy is one of the first steps towards behavior change, more informed and motivated patients will have better health outcomes, more adherence to treatments, fewer postoperative complications, etc.

Nowadays it is more important that the oral health professional and his team are trained in this area, that they know how to use simple words and answer the three basic questions for the patient: “what is my main problem”, “what needs to be done ” and “why is it important for my health”. It is also relevant to know how to provide users with reliable resources when they want to seek extra information.

The “Comer Bem, Sorrir Melhor” project carries out literacy actions in oral health and nutrition in a community and individual way with tools such as the “teach back” method.

Speaker of the session “On the Agenda” with the title “Communication and literacy in dental medicine: is what the patient hears, what the dentist says”.