Smoking, Alcohol, Diet and Prevention

Smoking, Alcohol, Diet and Prevention supports meeting I 1.3. For dental nurses this means carrying out sensitive health-promotion conversations without blame or judgement.

Communication in dental nursing contributes directly to patient safety. It supports consent, dignity, reassurance, recordkeeping, handover, prevention and escalation when needed.

These interactions often occur in routine moments: a patient who looks uncertain, a receptionist seeking advice, a dentist moving quickly, a trainee needing feedback, a message arriving electronically, a handover, or a colleague unsure how to raise a concern. Interpersonal skill is the ability to respond with care, clear wording and sound professional judgement.

Practical markers

• Notice: what the patient, colleague, situation or system is communicating.
• Choose: a communication method, team route or escalation step that fits the context.
• Respect: role boundaries, confidentiality, dignity, cultural needs and emotional impact.
• Check: understanding, responsibility, handover and whether the next person has the information they need.
• Follow up: through records, feedback, supervision, team discussion or concern-raising where needed.

Useful phrasing can be simple: "Can I check how the patient would prefer us to explain this before we continue?" The wording is calm and professional and gives the team a clear reason to pause, clarify or escalate.

SPF behaviour links

Tailored spoken, written and electronic communication with patients in sensitive clinical and personal contexts helps dental nurses protect patient dignity, team trust and safe care.