Analyzing dentist professional behaviour reported in Indian newspaper media: a content analysis

Background: Essentially, a professional conduct of health-care providers, such as doctors and dentists, heavily influences the trust and general perceptions that the public has toward dentistry as a profession. Mass media – especially print media, such as newspapers with a high circulation – mediates the effect of such perceptions. The dissemination of effective communication regarding oral health has been clearly considered public health. Objective: To analyze how dentists' professional behaviour is perceived in Indian newspaper media with themes, frequency, and tone of coverage. Method: News articles from major Indian newspapers (January 2020-December 2024) were purposively sampled for qualitative content analysis in terms of references to dentists and professional conduct (e.g., misconduct, negligence, ethics, community service). Articles in English or Hindi were sourced from Google News and archives by means of relevant keywords. Inductive coding of themes and tone (positive, neutral, negative) was done using NVivo software. Two reviewers independently coded the data, with inter-rater reliability assessed using Cohen's kappa. Results: Of 216 screened newspaper articles, 58 included. Five major themes emerged: professional misconduct/negligence (36% of articles); unethical behaviour (22%); patient complaints/disputes (17%); community service and outreach (12%); and academic achievements (13%). Prevalently, negative portrayals were those on malpractice, unethical behaviour, and patient grievances, whereas positive stories were on donations and scholarly achievements. Of the articles, 38% were negative in tone, 45% neutral, and 17% positive. Conclusion: The Indian newspapers tend to cover negative incidents of dental professionals, undermining the trust of the public even more. One can hardly find these positive contributions useful for the betterment of the image, such as the public health camps and academic successes. The different stakeholders in dentistry need to be proactive in engaging with the media, such as through media training and partnerships, to promote ethical awareness and a more balanced image of the profession.