Dental editors adopt statement

The question of how to balance editorial considerations with advertising content is one that all editors face, and the American Association of Dental Editors has brought its expertise to bear on this issue for dental editors.

In the statement posted on its Web site (“AADE Position Statement on Undue Commercial Influence on Professional Publications”), the group offers guidance to dental editors on how to prevent undue commercial influence on their publications.

In an AADE press release, the group’s president, Dr. Michael Maihofer of Roseville, Mich., said he believes that “managing the boundary between editorial and advertising content is the greatest challenge facing dental editors today.” He championed the creation of the position statement because dental editors are looking to their national organization for guidance in “dealing with the dilemmas created by increasingly clever marketing campaigns, often dressed up as editorial content.”

The AADE board ratified the final version of the statement, which had been developed in consultation with the AADE membership, at its midyear meeting in Chicago in February.

“AADE believes that the interests of readers and patients are paramount for editors, and that patient care should not be compromised by commercially biased editorial content,” said Dr. Maihofer. “Editors must always be vigilant to balance these interests with the legitimate interests of advertisers who wish to inform dentists about their products and services, and the interests of sponsoring associations who strive to earn nondues revenues through their publications. The editor is constantly juggling competing interests while trying to produce the best journal possible with available resources.”

The position statement guides editors on how to clearly delineate editorial and advertising content, what types of financial interest declarations should be made by authors, how to determine what is acceptable advertising content, and what to do when an author’s undeclared commercial interest subsequently comes to light. Dr. Maihofer indicated that this statement is very useful to him as an editor and that AADE members have given it a very strong endorsement.

The AADE Web site also includes a Code for Dental Editors and links to the advertising standards of The Journal of the American Dental Association on ADA.org. In its Guidelines for Authors, JADA includes a requirement that each author must disclose any financial, economic or professional interests that may influence positions presented in the article.

The AADE, a nonprofit organization based in Milwaukee, is dedicated to the advancement of dental journalism, and welcomes everyone with an interest in dental journalism as members. More information about AADE is available by contacting Detlef Moore, AADE executive director, at 1-414-272-2759 or by visiting its Web site at www.dentaleditors.org.