BODY WATCH : Lone Dentist Doesn’t Follow the Drill

So, what does that fifth dentist recommend? You know, the odd person out on the Trident sugarless gum label?

According to the survey keepers, the maverick gives the nod either to another kind of gum or no gum at all.

This poll has been conducted since the mid-’60s by Warner-Lambert Co., which makes Trident. Since 1989, the company has commissioned an annual phone survey, in which workers from an independent research firm ring up, at random, 300 dentists and hygienists around the country.

Helping Warner-Lambert stay curious is a Federal Trade Commission guideline saying that claims such as “four-out-of-five” must reflect current opinion.

Over the years, the survey results have fluctuated little. If anything, Warner-Lambert says, the claim errs on the side of conservatism. Hmmmm. Sounds like that fifth dentist might be caving in faster than a decayed tooth.