What should people expect from person-centred dental visits? The Montreal-Toulouse Wheel of expectations

Br Dent J. 2021 Aug;231(4):249-253. doi: 10.1038/s41415-021-3322-3. Epub 2021 Aug 27.

Abstract

There is a dearth of tools designed to inform people about what to expect from person-centred dental encounters and to guide them during the care process. This is why we propose the Montreal-Toulouse Wheel of patients' expectations for dental visits, which describes what people could expect during person-centred clinical encounters. The Wheel comprises four core expectations: 1) be understood; 2) be respected; 3) have power; and 4) be given enough time. It also includes three expectations that are more specific to the process of care: 5) be informed and understand; 6) share decisions with the dentist and even co-construct the treatment plan; and 7) be comfortable during clinical procedures and the whole care process. We also propose a Q-List to help patients reflect on their relationship with dental professionals and engage them in person-centred dental care. This Q-List describes the seven expectations of the Wheel and provides open-ended questions that we invite patients to reflect upon. We also hope that dental professionals and educators will find the Wheel and the Q-List useful to develop person-centredness and promote inclusive and equitable dentistry.

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Motivation*