Dentists were named No. 5 for their honesty and ethical standards in a Gallup Poll released this month. In previous years’ polls, dentists also scored in the top 10. The public was asked to rank 22 professions on a five-point scale, ranging from “very high” to “very low,” and 62% of respondents ranked dentists as “very high” or “high.”
Dentists scored slightly lower than physicians, pharmacists, and nurses but tied their 2006 score. “The honesty ratings of all medical professions are at the highest levels in Gallup’s history, albeit by slim margins,” according to Gallup.
“The ADA has a stringent Code of Ethics, and we’re pleased to see that the public recognizes that our ADA members are truly putting these into practice,” said Dr. Robert Faiella, president of the American Dental Association.
Nurses scored the highest of all the professions tested — with 85% of respondents rating the ethics and honesty of nurses as very high or high. Rounding out the top 10 after nurses were pharmacists, physicians, engineers, dentists, police officers, college teachers, clergy, psychiatrists, and chiropractors.
The lowest ranked professions were members of Congress (only 10% rated their ethics and honesty as very high or high) and car salespeople (8%).
Results of the poll are based on telephone interviews conducted November 26-29, 2012, with a random sampling of 1,015 adults age 18 and older in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Gallup has conducted this same poll periodically but doesn’t always include dentists as one of the professions tested.
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