Assessing the dental office sign of general dentists in Qazvin

This descriptive study was aimed at assessing the dental office sign of general dentists and compliance with the general standards and criteria. A total of 73 signs from clinics of general dentists in the city of Qazvin (Iran) were examined in 2009. Of 73 signs, 5.47% showed the title of "general dentist", 43.83% displaying the practice of a dental specialty such as surgery, dental prosthesis, pediatric dentistry, and 20.54% demonstrating the practice of four different dental specialties. There was no sign showing the logo of the Iranian Medical Council. However, 97% of the signs were within the standard size of 5070 cm and 89% with a white background. It seems that the lack of public awareness over the availability of different dental specialties and the distinction between the dental specialists and general dentists, to be among the reasons encouraging the dental practitioners to avoid including the title of "general dentist" on their dental clinics’ signs.