The Dentistry Top 50: a popularity contest?

Dentistry Top 50
It’s time to start voting for your Dentistry Top 50

Julian English looks at the machinations of Dentistry’s Top 50 campaign.

Voting is now open for the Dentistry Top 50.

It is make your mind up time to choose your top five influencers in the dental profession over the last 12 months.

Our editorial panel has drawn up a shortlist of influencers for you to consider. We have tried to pick the people that have played a major role in the past year or over the years. But if you strongly believe that someone else should be included, then you have the right to suggest and vote for them.

The results will be first announced in Dentistry magazine and on Dentistry.co.uk in May. Voting can be done through Dentistry magazine or online (www.dentistry.co.uk/top50).

Get voting, the closing date is 31 March.

Popularity contest?

The idea first came about from reading the Sunday Times rich list, a hugely popular and well-read feature.

I’m often challenged and told that the Dentistry Top 50 is simply a popularity contest and that people cheat by canvassing for votes. Well, it is a popularity contest. We ask you to vote for influencers, and to be of influence the chosen 50 have to be popular. I don’t even see it as a criticism. Popularity is inherent to the campaign.

To explain with more clarity look at The Oxford Dictionary list of synonyms for the word ‘popularity’. These include admiration, approval, acceptance, fame, status, reputation, regard, esteem, recognition. The Dentistry Top 50 is a popularity contest.

Reasons to get involved

Younger dentists use the Top 50 to find out more about the profession they are joining and who the movers and shakers are.

Others use it to see who is promoting themselves at the moment.

Fairness

Dentistry magazine has gone to great lengths to ensure fairness in the voting system.

This is in bullet form to make it easier to digest:

  1. The campaign runs from January to March annually
  2. Dental professionals vote for their five most influential people
  3. Voting mainly comes through the website www.dentistry.co.uk/top50
  4. One can vote through the journal
  5. Dentistry provides a list of possible candidates to choose from
  6. An independent company manages the entire process to provide fairness
  7. Block voting is rejected
  8. Multiple votes from the same IP address are rejected
  9. A list of the top 50 people who received the most votes is published in May.

How to vote

To have your say and vote for who you believe is the most influential person in UK dentistry, please visit www.dentistry.co.uk/top50 or the voting form over the page.

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