A survey instrument was designed to evaluate factors influencing consumer selection of an orthodontist and consumer perception of different forms of media advertising (radio, television, newspaper, magazine, direct mail, and billboard) by orthodontic practices. The surveys were distributed by 8 orthodontic offices in and around the Richmond, Virginia area. Out of 676 surveys, 655 (97%) were returned. Respondents most often cited dentist and patient referrals as how they learned of the orthodontic practices they visited (50%- 57%). However, a caring attitude and good practitioner reputation were cited as the top reasons influencing selection of an orthodontist (53% and 49% respectively). Fourteen percent to 24% of respondents felt that advertising orthodontists would offer a lower quality of care than non-advertising orthodontists. Newspaper, magazine, and direct mail advertisements were viewed more favorably than radio, television and billboard advertisements. Chi-square analyses revealed few statistically significant differences in perception between different income and education groups.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:vcu.edu/oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-1852 |
| Date | 01 January 2006 |
| Creators | Edwards, Daenya T. |
| Publisher | VCU Scholars Compass |
| Source Sets | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | © The Author |
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