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Dentists' opinions sought on ethical advertising

28th Jul 2010

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The GDC is seeking the opinions of dentists on the most ethical way to advertise their dental services.

The aim is to create a guidance booklet for members.

One of the suggestions in the draft document is that dentists should not use the courtesy title ‘Dr', a topic that's prompted much debate.

The consultation paper also suggests they should also not refer to themselves as 'orthodontist' unless they are on the specialist list.

Last year, advert watchdogs upheld a decision to stop a dentist calling himself ‘doctor' in his magazine adverts.

In February 2009, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that although dentist John Stowall was a specialist in surgical and oral dentistry, the use of Dr was ‘ambiguous' and ‘misleadingly implied' he was qualified to conduct facial surgery.

The ASA upheld its decision when Dental Protection appealed against the judgment, saying: ‘We considered… that the title ‘Dr' before a practitioners name should not be used in ads unless the practitioner held a general medical qualification, a relevant PhD or doctorate (of sufficient length and intensity) or unless the similarities and differences between the practitioner's qualifications and medical qualifications were explained in detail in the ad.

‘We noted from the list of qualifications included in the ad that the practitioner was not medically qualified and did not hold a relevant PhD or doctorate qualification. We also considered that the advertisement did not explain the differences between the practitioner's qualifications and medical qualifications. We concluded that the use of ‘Dr' in this ad could mislead.'

Regarding this consultation paper, the GDC said: ‘This is a consultation on a proposed new guidance booklet for registrants which will provide them with more detailed information on what is expected of them regarding advertising.

‘Our main purpose is to protect patients and a key aspect of this is ensuring that all information or publicity material regarding dental services is legal, decent, honest and truthful.

Three of the most relevant principles of the guidance in relation to advertising are:
• Work within your knowledge, professional competence and physical abilities
• Do not make any claims that could mislead patients
• Justify the trust that your patients, the public and your colleagues have in you by always acting honestly and fairly

The paper says: ‘The onus is on you to be honest in your presentation of your skills and qualifications. For example, if you have undertaken a weekend course in implantology, can you really say that you are a ‘qualified implantologist'? Would you be able to justify this claim to a fitness to practise panel if something went wrong?'

The draft paper also warns: ‘Do not abuse your position as a dental professional by endorsing medicines, oral health products or devices for financial gain. Recommend products only if they are the best way to meet a patient's needs.'

The closing date in Friday 1 October. To respond to the consultation, click here.

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Comments

Get onto their 'consultation' thing and let them know. However, they are obviously furiously trying to stuff a genie back into a bottle from which Dr Douglas Pike released it about 17 years ago. As an original £10 contibutor to Dr Pikes' campaign back then, when we also got him elected onto the GDC (no danger of that now, eh? Democracy - who needs it?) this raises a wry smile. Mass disobedience might be needed this time, as we have been disenfranchised. As I have pointed out previously with regard to the annual retention fee, 'no taxation without representation' should be the cry. Also, here's a further reminder to visit Mr Cleggs government website to let them know your thoughts re CQC registration - another layer of red tape to add to the pile of it already there.

Posted by drstephenmorris 28/7/10 at 18:23

Dentists are granted a doctorate degree in most countries. The root of the problem should be sorted out.
Dentists are doctors too. Of course don't claim to have experience in areas you don't have, I definitely agree with that.

Posted by dentistuk12 30/7/10 at 17:55

Quite so. The universities should take this route. The GDC seems to be being 'leaned upon' by the advertising standards. authority (another quango - lots of them, is there not?!), who take the view that the ignorance of the public should be bowed to. Well, a fair number of members of the public think that Churchill only has relevance as that dog in the car insurance adverts. Those of us with a little more education may beg to differ.

Posted by drstephenmorris 30/7/10 at 20:47

Plus, if dentists who are phd or medical doctors - are given the dr title - will patients know this does not mean they are any better at general dentistry? Because they are not. All it means is that they either are better at carrying out a research or putting people's faces together or surgically extracting teeth.

But when it comes to general dentistry, I'd rather go to someone with actual experience in PRACTICING general dentistry. All dentists deserve the title Dr. It is outrageous that the GDC, media is creating a negative image of us and there is nothing we can do. We are all paying the price for a few unethical dentists.

While in the US dentists are very much trusted and respected, here the general public hates us more than the investment bankers who took the country to financial ruin! All these shows about unethical dentistry is ridiculous.

How come there isn't one reality show about the reality of what dentists do for their patients, how committed they are and how they don't have a magic wand to help those who don't want to help themselves.

We are over regulated and not trusted at all.

The public needs to take responsibility for their oral and actually general health and not blame the dentist/dr.

With all the responsibility a dentist has, facing, approaching nervous conscious patients in pain with sharp instruments - dentist deserve the title Dr. That should be the issue, not how to make the profession less and less respected.

Posted by dentistuk12 31/7/10 at 09:51

drstephenmorris and dentistuk12 Excellent comments. Problem 1 : The degree in the UK is a BDS Lobbying should start to change it to a DDS degree like in many other countries. (USA , CANADA , Sweden) are examples.
Problem 2 : The NHS contract is one of the main reasons for the declining reputation of Dentists in the UK. It encourages gaming and dishonesty (I don't blame one single dentist who is doing it and i am sure everybody to some grater or lesser extent is doing it, basically just to cope) How can you in an honest way tell your patients that what you can do for them (while you all day have to think about how many "Nectar points" you have collected so far) under this shambolic contract is absolutely the best and of highest quality? Impossible.
Problem 3: A very weak BDA who can not convey the msg of the profession that NHS dentistry is and has been under funded and that the public should only expect a core service from it.

We are highly qualified professionals and we have to demand to be respected as such. I think we are getting very close to a point where many Dentists will start to think that enough is enough. So lets keep call ourselves Dr in all our adds and see if the GDC can take on 20000 + Dentists in the UK.

Posted by Frasse 31/7/10 at 14:30

Many thanks, Frasse. My thoughts exactly. You are also right about the NHS, and I am more than pleased that I only have a tiny loss-leader NHS childrens only contract. 90%+ of my time is spent on my Denplan Essentials patients. I could not imagine spending a day collecting Nectar points/Airmiles/UDA's - brilliant analogy BTW Frasse! We have no intention of changing our website, where we put 'dental surgeon' clearly everywhere. If someone is so thick that they ring us up re a medical matter, frankly: a. That's their problem, b. Reception will 'set them straight' in about 3 seconds.
BTW, b. has actually happened ONCE in the 11 years we have been using the title Dr in our current practice. I think the caller was needing a Dr specialising in psychiatry!
The vacillating GDC should be firmly stood up to. The BDA? Don't make me larf!

Posted by drstephenmorris 31/7/10 at 21:12

The problem is dentists would need to unite. But if we did not unite when the new contract came in, when will we?

Have you been to a dental course lately? You meet colleagues but you don't talk about what really matters, only superficial things. We should allow ourselves to be openly passionate about the profession and we should be encouraged to find the faults of the system in order to improve it.

It seems slowly the NHS is destroying our soul as a community and we are at a point when you hear people saying that doing dentistry in the NHS is demoralizing, depressing...and if the NHS is making dentistry solely about numbers, the new generation will rather try their luck in investment banking because there you really make a huge income and at least there, it is really only about numbers.

Why does the NHS has so many foreigner dentists? Because the recent UK graduates do not want to and don't go into the NHS.

Posted by dentistuk12 31/7/10 at 21:52

Thank you Frasse and drstephenmorris.

Posted by dentistuk12 31/7/10 at 22:09

dentistuk12 - thank you. Dentists never unite, and thus they are easily picked-off by the likes of the DoH, the GDC and soon the CQC no doubt! A small profession such as ours really has enormous power - HMG can't just get someone else to do it! - but very low self-confidence, in my experience. It is, however, quite feasible to survive outside the NHS, and it really is much more honest to tell patients 'this is what I think would help you, and this is what it costs'. Effectively, the NHS is really a core service nowadays, and the UDA games demean all of us. Yes, me included - we all get 'tarred with the same brush'. Surveys of patients, interestingly, almost always get the response that 'dentists are all out for all they can get'......but when asked about their own dentist, patients are much more positive. So the media/historical 'baggage' definitely has a negative effect. Maybe a 'bionic dentist' programme might help!

Posted by drstephenmorris 31/7/10 at 22:21

drstephenmorris , dentistuk12 Thank you both for your comments. Well if you think so and it seems that we believe we should do something, isn't it then time to start probing the possibility of starting a campaign instead of just writing these comments. Remember how challenge started. If you agree with me please let me know.

Posted by Frasse 1/08/10 at 00:49

Usually the ones who do such thing should be prepared to loose even what they have now, shouldn't they?
I thought you can only change things if you have power/money etc. Common sense - sadly, I would have thought comes last.
What do you Frasse and drstephenmorris think?

Posted by dentistuk12 1/08/10 at 17:17

dentistuk12 I guess you are right. I am planning to move to Australia so I don't really care what happens with this damn contract. I think we just have to play the game of the DOH and do our best for the patients. I think this way: we did not design this shambolic system and they are not listening to us so to h..... with them

Posted by Frasse 5/08/10 at 20:29

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