Holden A C L. Dentistry and oral health in online media sources: a discourse analysis. Community Dent Health 2019; 36: 221−228.

How does the media view the dental profession?

The fluidity of the relationship between the dental profession and society is viewed through the lens of online media. Google News was searched on one day for all mentions of dentistry and oral health. 171 articles were reviewed from a mixture of newspapers and online content from consumer groups. Analysis revealed 3 themes. Firstly, power and professional status, illustrated by stories of either professional malpractice or mistreatment of employees; secondly, advancement of social control, with articles stressing the relationship between oral and general health; thirdly, neo-liberal attitudes towards oral healthcare (taking personal responsibilty for one's own care), which highlighted the relative lack of funding for oral healthcare and dentists' 'anger and disappointment' at the lack of appropriate affordable access to oral care.

The author suggests that an unequal relationship between the public and the profession leads to disempowerment and that 'if many in society cannot access care, the principle justification for dentistry's position as a trusted and protected profession falls into question'.