Abstract
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.
Key points
-
Newspapers are able to sway public opinion and can also influence health professionals on major issues.
-
Open and honest discourse existed, with many dentists and dental organisations liaising with newspaper journalists about health issues facing patients and the dental profession.
-
The relationship between the press and the dental profession is dynamic and fluid, with some articles sensationalising misconduct and others being informative, balanced and helpful.
Similar content being viewed by others
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
References
Ellis M, Johnson I. Exploring dentists' professional behaviours reported in United Kingdom newspaper media. Br Dent J 2020; DOI: 10.1038/s41415-020-1987-7.
Payet C. Dental myth: knee on the chest to pull a tooth? 2013. Available at https://www.smilesbypayet.com/2013/02/dental-myth-knee-chest-pull-teeth/ (accessed January 2021).
Leask J, Hooker C, King C. Media coverage of health issues and how to work more effectively with journalists: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2010; DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-535.
Pew Research Centre. About Seven-in-Ten U.S Adults Say They Need to Take Breaks From COVID-19 News. Available at https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/04/29/about-seven-in-ten-u-s-adults-say-they-need-to-take-breaks-from-covid-19-news/ (accessed January 2021).
Agility PR Solutions. Top 10 UK Newspapers by circulation. 2021. Available at https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/top-10-uk-newspapers-by-circulation/ (accessed January 2021).
Gibbons K. Dentists warn of a drastically reduced service. The Times (London) 2020 June 9.
Aoraha C. Toothache: Patients face two-year delay to see dentist after waiting times double during coronavirus pandemic. The Sun (London)2020 October 31.
Williams T. Dad downed eight Stellas and pulled his own teeth out as he couldn't see dentist. Metro (London)2020 October 14.
Caulfield C. Fears of spike in 'DIY dentistry' as parents ask how to remove their kids teeth. Metro (London)2020 April 15.
Monti R. Are you willing to try DIY dentistry? We review the at-home remedies to get your teeth stuck into. Daily Mail (London) 2020 September 21.
Chalmers V. How a tooth abscess almost killed me: Mother spent five months in hospital after pus inside her mouth led to a life-threatening brain infection. Daily Mail (London)2020 July 27.
Hagan P. Daily Mail. Can dentists survive as the lockdown starts to bite? Shocking report reveals a fifth of practices may close within weeks without a government cash lifeline. Daily Mail (London) 2020 April 13.
Abgarian A. What is mask mouth and how can you deal with it? Metro (London) 2020 August 23.
Enoch N. Dentists reopen today amid fears patients will face extra fees to pay for £25 PPE gowns and gloves needed for reach appointment. Daily Mail (London)2020 June 8.
Mills K-A. Mum furious after dentist adds £40 'PPE surcharge' to bill for daughter's braces. Mirror (London) 2020 August 6.
Phagura S. Outraged patient slams dentist in Bristol after being charged an extra £60 for treatment to cover PPE COSTS. Daily Mail (London) 2020 September 4.
Davis N. 'We should have had time to prepare': dentists on the rush to reopen safely. The Guardian (London) 2020 June 5.
Chadwick P. Do media help or harm public health? Aust N Z J Public Health 1998; 22: 155-158.
Hooker C, King C, Leask J. Journalists' views about reporting avian influenza and a potential pandemic: a qualitative study. Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2012; 6: 224-229.
Medical Defence Union. Doctors subject to criticism in the press. 2014. Available at https://themdu.com/guidanceandadvice/journals/mdujournalapril-2014/doctorssubjecttocriticisminthepress (accessed March 2021).
Dental Protection. Handling the media: a guide for dentists. Available at https://mpscdnuks.azureedge.net/resources/docs/librariesprovider2/default-document-library/final-2115-dp_uk-handling-the-media_0418_web.pdf (accessed March 2021).
Stamm K, Williams Jr J W, Noël P H, Rubin R. Helping journalists get it right: a physicians guide to improving healthcare reporting. J Gen Intern Med 2003; 18: 138-145.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Matthew Sedgwick: conceptualisation, methodology, investigation, writing original draft and formal analysis. Deborah Krishnapillai: conceptualisation, investigation, writing - review and editing and formal analysis.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
The authors confirm that there are no conflicts of interests.
Additional information
The original online version of this article was revised.
Due to a production error, when the article 'Dentistry, the press and a pandemic', written by Matthew J. Sedgwick and Deborah Krishnapillai, was originally published, the publication date on the publisher's internal portal read 17 December 2021. This has been corrected to 14 December 2021, the date the paper was first published online.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sedgwick, M., Krishnapillai, D. Dentistry, the press and a pandemic. Br Dent J (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-3734-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Version of record:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-021-3734-0
This article is cited by
-
An analysis of the portrayal of dentistry in modern popular film from a dentist's perspective
British Dental Journal (2023)
-
Are patients forgetting the basics?
BDJ In Practice (2022)
