Survey Shows Dentists Reviews Extremely Important When Choosing Providers

More than half of consumers look at online reviews before deciding on a dentist.

A new survey completed by Ceatus Media Group shows just how important impressions are to drumming up more business.

The survey, which was completed by individuals who visited one of three Ceatus-owned elective health care educational sites, included seven questions related to Internet use and healthcare provider reviews. The questions were used to determine how consumers research specific health care providers, including cosmetic dentistry providers, plastic surgeons, and eye surgeons, and how they ultimately choose their dentists and doctors.

The survey results pertaining to cosmetic dentistry were obtained from Ceatus Media’s Consumer Guide to Dentistry educational site, which features information on common cosmetic and general dentistry procedures, oral health conditions and diseases, dental insurance, and tips for choosing a dental provider. The survey was open to participants from May 1 to 31. While this was the only website used to look at trends in selecting cosmetic dentistry providers, Ceatus has a total of seven healthcare educational websites. Combined, these sites receive more than six million independent visitors each year.

The survey results gave a surprising look into the minds of dental care consumers. As many as 63 percent of consumers who are considering any type of cosmetic dentistry procedure find online dentist reviews to be a vital part of their decision-making process. Another 33 percent believe that dental provider reviews are at least somewhat important when choosing a dentist. Only 4.4 percent of consumers responded that provider reviews are not important at all when seeking out cosmetic dentistry services.

“These first-of-their-kind findings are really eye-opening and will change the way plastic surgeons, dentists, and eye surgeons think about and execute their review strategies,” Dr. David Evans, CEO of Ceatus Media Group, says. “Our data clearly demonstrates the importance of reviews to patients seeking elective healthcare procedures. We are excited to share this unique data specific to dentistry, plastic surgery and eye surgery."

According to the consumers polled, Google ranked as the most important review site, followed closely by Healthgrades and Facebook. Other directories, such as the Yellow Pages, were not considered important review sites among the consumers polled. However, some respondents indicated that sites like Google and Healthgrades were not important in their decision-making process, indicating a high amount of variability among people who chose to participate.

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