Practical marketing for dentistry. 1. What is marketing?

Do you really understand what 'marketing' means? Are you suspicious about the motives of those practising marketing? Is it ethical to promote dental and health services? Are we trying to make out that we offer more than we actually do? Is this a scheme dreamed up as a front for inferior services? The aim of this series is to demonstrate that marketing theory and concepts do have an ever increasing importance in today's dental practices. The series will explore different aspects of marketing thought and relate them to the practice environment, by use of practical examples and a case study.