On  June  26  Dollars  &  Dentists  débuted  on  PBS,  a  film  that  documented  a  joint-­‐investigation  of  the  dental  care  system  by  Frontline  and  The  Center  for  Public  Integrity.  Dollars  &  Dentists  featured  a  young  girl  in  great  need  of  dental  care,  and  the  barriers  she  faced  that  prevented  her  from  seeing  a  dentist.  The  way  in  which  the  film  portrays  the  dental  profession  may  strengthen  the  negative  perception  many  Americans  hold  toward  the  field.      To  respond  with  the  appropriate  messaging  it  is  important  to  have  a  general  understanding  of  the  stakeholder’s  reactions,  which  include  the  general  public  as  well  as  members  of  the  profession.  My  findings  suggest  a  lack  of  public  knowledge  regarding  in-­‐depth  details  of  many  factors,  which  have  become  common  themes  reoccurring  in  the  post-­‐documentary  media  reports.  Such  themes  include:  Medicaid,  dental  insurance,  dental  hygienists,  the  dental  care  system  and  oral  health  education.  Representatives  of  the  profession  have  elaborated  on  the  themes  in  order  to  minimize  the  unethical  and  profit  driven  dentist  misperception,  and  defend  the  field  of  dentistry.    To  conclude,  as  a  dental  association  protecting  the  profession’s  reputation  is  a  top  priority.  Our  members  play  a  vital  role  in  shaping  how  the  public  views  dentistry.  With  that  said,  it  may  be  of  great  benefit  to  communicate  this  information  to  the  members  so  they  too  are  up-­‐to-­‐date  on  what  their  own  patients  are  saying.  It  may  be  of  even  further  benefit  to  provide  them  with  tips  to  effectively  respond  if  need  be.  My  suggestion  will  ensure  that  our  members  are  relaying  a  common  message,  with  the  goal  of  restoring  the  profession’s  overall  image.      For  your  convenience,  I  have  condensed  my  efforts  into  the  summary  above.  If  you  wish  to  learn  more  about  the  situation  the  full  detailed  version  is  available.  The  packet  includes:    

• Target  audiences  and  their  views  on  the  themes    • Additional  topics  of  special  interest  • PBS  criticized    • Each  media  report  (pre  and  post  documentary):  

o Summary  of  main  point  o Summary  of  comments  that  were  generated  o Notes  comments  made  by  people  of  special  interest  

• The  Live  Chat:  o List  of  topics  the  public  questioned,  and  how  the  topics  were  

answered  • Summary  of  responses  from:  

o Aspen  Dental  (from  their  website)  o Kool  Smiles  (PBS  article  that  features  documents  Kool  Smiles  

provided)  o The  American  Dental  Association  o The  Academy  of  General  Dentistry  o The  American  Academy  of  Pediatric  Dentistry