Objective: To identify facilitative strategies that could be used in developing a tobacco cessation program for community dental practices.

Methods: Nominal group technique (NGT) meetings and a card-sort task were used to obtain formative data. A cognitive mapping approach involving multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Three NGT meetings conducted with 23 dental professionals yielded 27 nonredundant facilitative strategies. A 2-dimensional 4-cluster cognitive map provided an organizational framework for understanding these strategies.

Conclusion: Views of the target population solicited in a structured format provided clear direction for designing a tobacco cessation intervention.