Fight fake news

For some time now, healthcare practitioners, including dental practitioners, have been fighting that formidable adversary of fake news.

In fact, only last year an article titled Fake news and dental education appeared in the BDJ, and concluded that ‘fake news is a global issue and may require a concerted international effort to discredit it and promote real news, (…) we are the ideal front-line soldiers to take on the fight against fake news dissemination’. As well as suggesting strategies to help dental professionals tackle fake news, the article also looked at the mechanisms used to spread misinformation, chiefly (of course!) the internet and social media. Instead of asking a dental professional how to get healthier teeth and improve their smile, a patient can ask the internet instead. Type ‘natural ways to whiten teeth’ into Google and you will get a selection of unproven home remedies from oil pulling to using acidic apple cider vinegar as a mouthwash.