Communication phrases to support trauma-informed care in oral health: a concise review

Abstract

Introduction Effective communication is essential in providing quality patient care and the learning of communication phrases can be helpful with unfamiliar or challenging clinical situations. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a patient care framework to support patients with trauma and the practice of TIC in oral health (OH) is limited and can be challenging for OH practitioners. The aim of this review is to identify communication phrases to practise TIC in OH. Method A literature search was conducted through six electronic databases for studies published between January 1992 to September 2025 with consistent search terms. Grey literature was searched through Google Scholar and citation searching of the identified papers. Results The search identified 167 papers and nine grey literature articles; 27 papers on TIC in OH were identified and screened in full-text which resulted in eight papers with communication phrases when practising TIC. Identified phrases were categorised according to clinical situations: before the treatment, screening for trauma, during the treatment, when trauma signs and symptoms are recognised, when trauma history is disclosed, active listening and motivational interviewing. Conclusion Communication phrases could be a practical communication tool in supporting OH practitioners when practising TIC but needs further research to validate its effectiveness.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. BDJ, 2026 · DOI ↗