Marketing/Social MediaSelf-promotion

Background.—Suppose one of your referring dentistsoffers you what he calls an opportunity for ‘‘good market-ing.’’ It’s simple: He votes for you as the city’s ‘‘best ortho-dontist’’ in a poll by a local magazine. He asks that you votefor him as the top restorative dentist. Then you are bothlisted in the guide to the city’s best restaurants, theater pro-ductions, and health care providers. The listing is subjec-tive, but having your name there could substantiallyimprove new patient flow, since ‘‘everybody’’ reads thismagazine. Those listed as the best can buy expanded spaceto give a more complete listing of their credentials; theyalso receive a framed copy of the magazine’s announce-ment for a ‘‘nominal fee’’ of several hundred dollars. Howshould you respond?

Quantifying Quality.—Medical specialties can measurequality quantitatively using parameters such as length ofhospital stay or mortality ratio. These often do not applyto dental situations. If the treatment quality achieved in or-thodontics is subjective, what makes any clinician the best ishard to pin down. Having a publication list you as the bestcan be persuasive and probably increases the magazine’ssales and revenue. Winners of the ‘‘top-doc’’ nominationcan increase public exposure—and some may see that asa good marketing exposure. However, the public’s percep-tion of the ranking is what must be considered. Would suchexposure incorrectly influence patients’ selection of you astheir orthodontist?

Ethical Issues.—The American Dental Association’sPrinciples of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct

(ADA Code) defines false or misleading representation asbeing associated with any published work that is designedto induce the public to use their services based on question-able expectations. Dental practitioners should not be en-gaged in making statements that suggest that theirservices are better than those of other dentists if ‘‘reason-able substantiation’’ is not provided. The American Boardof Orthodontics Code of Ethics also supports this position.The key is to tell the truth. Lying is wrong both because itviolates respect for the person and because it encouragesa false sense of security. Patients may believe they are inthe care of the area’s best clinician without an objectivemeans to prove this is true.

Clinical Significance.—We develop a reputa-tion for quality based on our performanceover time. Clinical expertise, effective practicemanagement, and compassion for each patientare the essential contributing factors creatingthis status. It is not something that we achieveby election or public opinion polls.

Greco PM: Quest for the best. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop141:398, 2012

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Volume 58 � Issue 2 � 2013 69