Keeping your details up-to-date on dentist.com.au just became far easier

Australia's number one find-a-dentist website www.dentist.com.au has introduced a new option that allows you to quickly request your practice to be listed or changes made to your existing listing.

"Our goal continues to be to publish the most up-to-date and comprehensive list of practices and practitioners in both Australia and New Zealand to allow the general public to easily locate a dentist of their choice," said Joseph Allbeury, publisher of dentist.com.au, dentist.co.nz and this magazine. "In order to facilitate that even further, we have introduced a new option to make the process of adding or updating your information far easier.

"Simply click on the For Dentists link on the website and follow the instructions to display the update form. Once you've completed the form with all your details, your practice will be added or updated within a day or two."

Mr Allbeury said that the more information you include and the clearer you make the requested changes, the faster your information will be updated.

"Please spell out if there is a change in circumstances, like a new owner at the practice or a name change or if you've moved. We process every request manually and if we have to do a lot of detective work, it delays the process," he said. "We typically align all our information with the information on your website, so spell it out if your website doesn't reflect the changes you're requesting. We read it all!

"Equally, if you don't have a website at all, then let us know things like your opening hours for example."

All dental practices listed on the website must also have at least one dentist linked to the practice. If there is no dentist, or in the case of a denture clinic, no prosthetist, then the software blocks the listing from being displayed.

"Every practice on the website needs to have at least one dentist linked to it," Mr Allbeury said. "And before we add a dentist to our system we check that the dentist - and indeed all practitioners in the system - are registered with AHPRA. If we cannot verify your registration record, then we don't list you on dentist.com.au."

Mr Allbeury said that all practitioners are recorded in the system under the name they are registered under with AHPRA. However, practitioners can choose to have their information displayed using an alternative first name [preferred name].

"We ask that you list all the practitioners working at your practice on the form and it's very helpful if you list the name you're registered under too. Then you can also list your preferred name. We have lots of dentists called Robert who like to be known as Bob, for example. Or dentists using their middle name or a nickname or a Western name. It's no problem, we just need to be able to verify you're registered."

Mr Allbeury said that whilst using the form is quick and easy, using your Dental Community login to directly update your information remains the preferred option for managing your online presence.

"The best way to maintain your information remains logging in to the Dental Community website," he said. "This gives you direct access to your own information and so many more options.

"If you own a practice, it gives you full control over who works there and the information that is displayed, plus you can see live Google Analytics of who is looking at your information.

"If you don't own a practice, you can log in and link to the practices where you do work or remove yourself when you leave a practice.

"You can sign up by visiting the website at www.dentalcommunity.com.au and start managing your own information. It's simple and it's free.

"Either way, we encourage everyone to visit www.dentist.com.au and work with us to ensure your info is correct."

www.dentist.com.au processes over a million searches per annum from members of the public searching for a dentist. Whether you have a website, or particularly if you do not have a website, ensuring your details are accurately listed will help patients connect with you and your practice.

Add or update your details at www.dentist.com.au/information-for-dentists