Finding a restaurant, buying clothes online or booking a holiday - how many of us look at the online reviews? When my favourite singer's new material gains a 4 or 5-star review, then I will stream it. However, I may give it a miss if the songs only receive a 3-star rating. When a patient wishes to choose a dental practice, they are likely to access Google and Facebook for further information, checking how many stars they have been awarded. The online reviews or testimonials of other people's experience may well influence a patient's decision to visit a particular dental practice. I was interested to discover the differences between a review and a testimonial, and both are open to bias. Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) may have advantages, including the rapid access to informative reviews, but the subject matter creates more challenges. How can you trust online information and is such activity verifiable? There is no doubt that many dental practices work to professional and ethical standards. When posting material about their dental practices, UK dentists are expected to provide information that is 'legal, decent, honest and truthful'. Other countries exercise stricter guidelines on how to advertise dental services. Such guidelines range from the banning of testimonials to not allowing the publication of before and after pictures which show the range of smile transformations. As in many areas of regulation, there must be a balance. A sensible approach is required when putting forward guidance in advertising standards. Patients require protection as they are not necessarily suitably qualified to judge the authenticity of the information available. As such, patients require some assistance when making decisions about their oral care. We do have an organisation in place whose 'primary purpose is to protect patient safety and maintain public confidence in dental services'.1 This article will alert our regulatory body to the problems that are taking place online. In the meantime, does anyone need a 5-star review of dentistry or even a testimonial? I am open to offers.
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