In the October 2018 Journal of the American Dental Association a fantastic editorial was written by Michael Glick, DMD. His editorial reflects so strongly how I feel as a dentist that I couldn’t help referencing his article in this blog to echo the sentiments.
In his article, Dr. Glick explains that science is a method to discover truth, not an authority. It doesn’t care what people believe. In dentistry, science exists to prove or disprove theories so that we can provide the best care to patients based on available information at any given time.
One of the more troubling trends I see are celebrity doctors or scientists who exercise significant influence on the minds of viewers while basing their statements on unsupported science. To quote Doctor Glick,
“Extraordinary claims, such as a certain berry’s being an incontrovertible cure for cancer or advice from TV health gurus, such as Dr. Mehmet Oz, touting diet extracts that will make you lose weight in no time are common and sometimes very troubling. There is no peer review on social media, and the user needs to make the important decision as to what is scientifically sound and what is not. A 2014 study actually found that only 46% of medical advice recommended on The Dr. Oz Show could be supported by evidence, 15% of the recommendations were contradicted by available evidence, and no evidence was found for 39% of the recommendations.
“Not everyone can have a passion for science, but we should all avoid a blind passion for unsubstantiated opinions. It really doesn’t matter if you believe in gravity; if you sit under an apple tree, the apple will still fall on your head.”
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