Providing dietary advice to our patients forms the cornerstone of prevention for many dental diseases. However, simply prescribing information is unlikely to bring about long-term behavioural change. This article explores the theory of health behaviour as well as ways in which we can ‘get the message across’. Clinical relevance: Prescriptive approaches to behaviour changes can be considered inconsistent and ineffective. This article explores more patient-centred methods of inducing behaviour change with regard to dietary advice in the general dental practice setting.