Motivation—key to patient success in mechanical plaque control

Various factors in the motivation of patients for effective plaque control are discussed. In motivating a patient to become more self-reliant in mechanical plaque control, the ideal toward which the practitioner might strive is to help his patient to maintain good oral hygiene almost reflexively. Differences among patients as well as dentists are too great to recommend one technique with which to approach every patient. Therefore, several motivational and instructional approaches are presented.