CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 3

22 | 2018 | Issue 3 CDA at W ork Q Q Q Q information and ensure that advertisements don’t demean the integrity of the profession. Each province has its own regulatory bylaws, but they are aligned on some fundamental principles. They all prohibit any false, offensive, misleading and unverifiable promotional activities, which includes testimonials. Any advertisement practice that could create unrealistic expectations or is contrary to the best interests of the public should not be engaged. What constitutes a testimonial? Can they be used to promote a practice? A testimonial is a public statement from a patient that describes their experience at the dental office. Testimonials and ratings are considered unverifiable information, and as a result cannot be used as advertising or promotional material according to the provincial advertising regulations for dentistry. For example, a dentist would be running afoul of regulations if they displayed a message like “Rated 5 stars, 3 years in a row!” at its practice or on its website. Also, dentists should not encourage their patients to leave an online review. Should patients trust the ratings? It’s been shown that crowd-sourced rating websites have significant limitations. There is actually a poor association between online patient ratings and clinical performance. The assessment of the quality of care is often limited to service- related aspects, such as friendliness, punctuality, and empathy, as opposed to the actual clinical performance. Another consideration is that some reviews may be fake. There have been reports of businesses hiring online reputation management companies to post positive reviews on these rating sites. There have also been allegations about these companies manipulating reviews. So people should be skeptical about what they read online. Should dentists monitor their own online reviews? Some dentists believe that online reviews can provide valuable feedback. As service providers, they might want to learn about their patients’ experiences and address problematic issues, if they arise. For example, some dentists would privately follow up with patients who left a negative review, to better understand what went wrong. However, if dentists decide to engage with their patients on one of these rating platforms, they should be cautious because some online conversations can easily backfire. What are the consequences of not complying with advertising regulations? Dentists who don’t comply with their province’s regulations risk having the provincial dental regulator questioning their practices and could be subject to further investigation. a The Sun Life rating system Sun Life plan members are now able to rate their dentist on a scale from 1 to 5 stars after they submit a claim. Dentists are automatically added to the provider directory. Their profile consists of basic information: their name, address, and phone number. But dentists can enhance their profile by providing additional information, such as office hours, photos, languages spoken, a description of their practice, etc. Alternatively, dentists can opt out of the provider directory. Participation in the Sun Life app does not violate provincial advertising regulations, but dentists must be aware that they would put themselves at risk of doing so if they use their ratings to promote their practice. The assessment of the quality of care is often limited to service-related aspects, such as friendliness, punctuality, and empathy, as opposed to the actual clinical performance.