Patients' perceptions of general dental practitioners: The influence of dentist ethnicity and sex

A total of 126 participants were asked to select, from a series of photographs, the dentist which they perceived as: most caring, most competent, and which they would wish to have as their own dentist. White European male dentists were most likely to be chosen as the respondents’ general dental practitioner. Men were generally perceived as more competent than women. Women were more likely to be chosen as the most caring dentists. It is concluded that, in the absence of other information, sex and ethnicity of the dentist exert an influence on patients’ perceptions of general dental practitioners.