Counseling and Treating Bad Breath Patients: A Step-By-Step Approach
The P-LI-SS-IT System

This course introduces a communication model that has been used successfully by people in a range of helping professions when providing sexuality-related information. The model is J.S. Annon’s P-LI-SS-IT system.²⁵ The acronym stands for the model’s four progressive levels:

• Permission.
• Limited Information.
• Specific Suggestions.
• Intensive Therapy.

This course discusses how the P-LI-SS-IT model may be applied to the dental setting for discussing the personally sensitive topic of breath odor concerns with patients. The P-LI-SS-IT system is flexible and adaptable to many settings and to whatever amount of time is available. The model allows for a range of treatment choices geared to the level of competence of the individual clinician.

Before introducing the P-LI-SS-IT model, a brief review of interviewing skills and counseling techniques is in order.