Main

The questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1,000 BDA members from all fields of dentistry, excluding students, overseas and retired members. In total, 587 usable questionnaires were received, giving a response rate of 59% and making any non-response bias low. The survey response by gender, year of qualification and field of dentistry was representative of BDA membership as a whole and the results were therefore considered to be reliable. The questionnaire was very similar to that used in previous years and included questions about journal reading, the usefulness of BDJ sections, subject coverage and the BDJ website. The majority (74%) of survey respondents worked in general dental practice: 71% in general practice and 3% in general practice within a corporate body. Sixteen percent of those in general practice worked in single-handed practices. These results were very similar to those observed in 1999. In 2002, 55% of respondents working in general practice earned more than three quarters of their income from NHS work, compared with 58% in 1999 and 61% in 1997. Results from the 2002 survey showed that the typical BDJ reader was between 30 and 50 years old (58%), male (60%) and married (71%). The percentage of female respondents in 2002 (40%) was higher than in 1999 (29%). The typical survey respondent had either two children (31%) or none (36%) and listened to classical (29%) or modern pop (21%) music.

Journal reading generally

Readers were asked to indicate how many issues they read out of a list of ten dental journals, including the BDJ and BDA News. When interpreting these results it should be remembered that BDA membership includes subscriptions to both the BDJ and BDA News. Table 1 shows the 2002, 1999 and 1997 percentages of respondents reading 'every' or 'most' issue(s) of each journal listed. In previous years Primary Dental Care was not included on the list. In 1995 and 1992 the question was phrased slightly differently and asked respondents how much of each journal they read, rather than how many issues. The percentages of survey respondents reading every/most issue(s) of the BDJ (91%) and BDA News (87%) remained high in 2002. The percentage of respondents reading every/most issue(s) of Dentistry (previously Dentistry Monthly) increased to 49% in 2002 (compared with only 22% in 1999). In contrast, the percentages of respondents reading some of the other journals (Dental Practice, The Probe and The General Dental Practitioner) decreased, suggesting that readers were becoming more selective.

Table 1 Table 1
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Readers were asked to rate which of the journals they considered to be the most useful for each of 11 topics. The percentage of respondents choosing the BDJ first for each topic is shown in Table 2. Also shown is the 2002 first choice for each topic if it was not the BDJ. Percentages since 1992 are also shown. The BDJ remained the first choice for finding a job, reports on research and recruiting an employee, but the majority (64%) of respondents preferred BDA News for political/employment topics. This was also the case in 1999, 1997, 1995 and 1992. The Dentist has remained the first choice for practice management since 1992. In 2002, The Dentist was also the preferred journal for financial management (as in 1995 and 1992).

Table 2 Table 2
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BDJ reading and usefulness

Readers were asked how often they read 14 different BDJ sections. Table 3 shows how the percentage of respondents reading each section always or sometimes, with results from previous years for comparison. Readers were also asked to rate the usefulness of each BDJ section, using a scale of 1 ('not useful') to 4 ('useful'). Table 3 also shows the percentage of respondents rating each section useful (an amalgamation of scores 3 and 4). In 2002, the most frequently read section of the BDJ was 'News', followed by 'Research summaries' (not listed as an option in previous years). 'Case reports' and 'Classified ads' remained popular, but the proportion reading 'Letters to the Editor' has fallen steadily since 1992.

Table 3 Table 3
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BDJ subject coverage

Readers were asked if more or less BDJ coverage was needed of 17 subjects. Readers thought there should be more coverage of practical clinical techniques and 'How to do it' articles and fewer non-dental topics. These findings are similar to those observed in previous years. The 2002 results indicated that readers would like more coverage of materials research. This was a change since 1999, when they wanted less, but the same opinion as in 1997. In 1995 and 1992 coverage of this was about right. The 2002 survey indicated that BDJ coverage of UK meetings and events, abstracts from other journals and oral health promotion was about right. This was also the case in previous years. In 1999, readers indicated that they would like less coverage of political news. In 2002 the coverage was about right (as in 1997, 1995 and 1992).

Reading patterns

In addition to asking about BDJ sections, the survey asked members about their BDJ reading patterns. Forty two percent of survey respondents had been reading the BDJ for 20 years or more. This is roughly the same proportion as in previous years (43% in 1999 and 42% in 1997). Seventy one percent of respondents spent between 15 and 60 minutes reading the BDJ. This is less than in 1999 (83%) and 1997 (82%). The results indicated that 21% of respondents spent over an hour reading the BDJ. This is an increase on the 1999 (7%) and 1997 (9%) figures. The proportion of respondents reading half or more of the journal has remained about the same since 1997 (67% in 2002 compared with 64% in 1999 and 63% in 1997). Similarly, the proportion filing the entire journal for future reference has not changed greatly since 1997 (50% in 2002 compared with 46% in 1999 and 48% in 1997). Of those filing the entire journal for future reference, 56% said that they kept it for more than 3 years. Again, this is similar to the results seen in 1999 (52%) and 1997 (55%). The survey revealed that 68% of respondents lent their BDJ to at least one other person.

BDJ website

Readers were asked about the BDJ website (www.bdj.co.uk). Most respondents (57%) accessed the BDJ website occasionally (compared with 35% in 1999) and 39% never accessed it at all (compared with 62% in 1999). In 2002, the most frequently viewed sections on the website were 'Research', 'Summaries', 'Practice section' and 'News and notes'. This was also the case in 1999. GDPs were more likely than non-GDPs to view the 'Practice section'. As might be expected, more recently qualified dentists were more likely to access the website at all. The most popular sections viewed by dentists qualified after 1992 were 'Research' and the 'Classified section'. Men were more likely than women to view the 'Leader', 'Letters' or 'Practice section'.

BDJ advertising

The survey also asked members about their hobbies and interests. This was to assist the BDJ in choosing appropriate products to advertise and included questions such as 'What kind of car do you drive?' and 'What type of music do you primarily listen to?' For interest, the responses to these questions have been grouped into categories and are shown in Tables 4 and 5.

Table 4 Table 4
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Table 5 Table 5
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Conclusion

In conclusion, the majority of survey respondents read every/most issue(s) of the BDJ and BDA News. In 2002, the BDJ was the most popular journal for finding a job, reports on research and recruiting an employee, but BDA News was preferred for political/employment topics. The most frequently read sections of the BDJ in 2002 were 'News' and 'Research summaries'. Overall, readers wanted more coverage of practical clinical techniques and 'How to do it' articles and less coverage of non-dental topics. BDJ coverage in 2002 of UK meetings and events, abstracts from other journals and oral health promotion was considered to be about right. Finally, the website appears to be becoming more popular: over half (57%) of survey respondents in 2002 accessed the BDJ website occasionally (compared with only 35% in 1999).