U.K. dentists prohibited from using 'Dr.'

All over the world, a dentist is a doctor. All over, that is, except in the U.K., where regulators recently ordered a dentist to stop using "Dr." in his ads because he has neither medical qualifications nor a Ph.D., according to the Daily Telegraph.

The order came from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a commission of U.K. advertisers that pressures advertisers to comply voluntarily with truth-in-advertising rules and can also refer violators to government enforcers.

The ASA says dentists may sometimes use "Dr.," but only if they make it obvious that they are not medical doctors, according to the newspaper.

The case has pitted dentists against medical doctors, the newspaper said. It quoted Peter Ward, chief executive of the British Dental Association, as saying, "We believe that dentists should be permitted to use the courtesy title 'Dr.' should they wish and provided that it is not done in a way which might mislead patients as to their qualifications.... The General Dental Council has no objection to the title and its use is becoming widespread."

But Dr. Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the British Medical Association's consultants committee, said banning dentists from the "Dr." honorific protects patient safety, according to the Daily Telegraph.