Love blossoms over the dentist chair…

US dentists are a romantic bunch – last week, one in five dentists admitted to dating a co-worker or employee at their dental practice in a recent survey.

Gender played a distinct role in a dentist’s experience with workplace romance.

One in four male dentists acknowledged having a romantic relationship with a co-worker, while only one in 10 female dentists did.

However, most warn against mixing business with pleasure even though a few happy marriages have been born in the dental office.

‘It is a sure way to complicate your life. Economically devastating also. I have seen the consequences with many of my colleagues,’ said one US paediatric dentist.

‘Do you know how to ruin a good employee? Become romantically involved with her or him,’ advised an orthodontist.

Those who do become involved with an employee must be careful to avoid charges of sexual harassment, discrimination, or other legal woes.

Some dentists took a more realistic view of personal relations.

‘It happens, because of working in close proximity, but it should be handled in an appropriate, professional manner,’ declared an Oregon dentist.

‘It’s no great surprise to me that dentists sometimes get involved with their co-workers," said Jim Du Molin, dental consultant and founder of The Wealthy Dentist, the dental marketing resource that conducted the survey.

‘But I didn’t expect so many to admit to it!’

Read the survey at www.thewealthydentist.com/PressReleases/054-Romance-among-Dentists-and-Coworkers-Survey.htm

• Meanwhile, a US dental body has claimed that kissing reduces the risk of cavities.

‘Kissing is nature’s cleansing process,’ says Heidi Hausauer, a dentist and spokeswoman for the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). ‘Saliva washes out the mouth and helps remove the cavity-causing food particles that accumulate after meals.’

• Cosy tête à têtes this Valentine’s evening may be a no-no in Nottingham considering the revelation this week that only 61% of people there brush their teeth twice a day.

Most thought it would do them no harm to skip on cleaning, while a worrying 29% said they simply couldn’t be bothered to brush twice.

The online survey was commissioned by dental healthcare company Denplan and sampled 1974 adults over four days in January.

Managing director Steve Gates said: ‘Much of this unawareness of oral hygiene is symptomatic of the fact that people increasingly have less access to dentists.

‘Dentists provide vital aftercare advice and help educate patients. Some of our other recent research shows that 34% of private dental patients visit a private dentist because they can’t find an NHS one.’

Favorite
Get the most out of your membership by subscribing to Dentistry CPD
  • Access 600+ hours of verified CPD courses
  • Includes all GDC recommended topics
  • Powerful CPD tracking tools included
Register for webinar
Share
Add to calendar