Exploring dentists' professional behaviours reported in United Kingdom newspaper media

An analysis of the portrayal of dentistry in modern popular film from a dentist's perspective

Dentists have been portrayed negatively in many forms of media, including in film. These portrayals may affect the public perception of the profession. This study aimed to quantify the proportion of modern popular films which depicted dentistry in a negative light and to evaluate the common themes arising in films containing dental professionals.Popular films containing references to dentistry or dental treatment were identified from previous publications, and by searching plot summaries of the top 100 films released during each year 1980-2019. All films identified were watched, relevant dialogue was transcribed and pertinent details from scenes with dentists were documented.A total of 60 films that had the potential to influence public perception of dentistry were included in the analysis. Many portrayals were negative (50%), with very few positive depictions (5%), and 30 films contained scenes of clinical dentistry, which were often medically inaccurate (30%). In total, 57% of patients in clinical scenes were distressed or physically harmed. Conscious sedation is frequently abused. Dentists are most commonly portrayed by white men, whereas women may be cast as hygienists. Common themes include sexual misconduct, crime and an unfavourable comparison with medicine.The portrayal of dentistry in film is largely negative and frequently inaccurate.

Dentistry, the press and a pandemic

Introduction Newspapers are a valuable source of information for many people and report on a variety of topics including dentistry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, where there has been a considerable amount of information seeking from health professionals and the public alike, this study examines how dentistry has been represented in the media.Methods and materials Articles which involve dentistry were searched for between 23 March 2020 and 31 December 2020 across multiple newspaper websites. Qualitative analysis was carried out of the data obtained to identify themes.Results In total, 179 articles were included in the study and themes identified. These related to access to dental services, do-it-yourself (DIY) dentistry, dental pain and emergency care, financial concerns and practice closures, oral health, personal protective equipment, as well as the return to work in June. There were very few stories about dental misconduct.Conclusions Constructive collaboration between newspapers and dentists existed as many articles were promoting positive oral health messages, discussed problems facing dentists re-opening as well as issues many patients faced during the first lockdown period.