Science & Technology

Do 9 out of 10 dentists really recommend that toothpaste? | Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi

You’ve probably heard claims like 9 out of 10 dentists recommend so-and-so toothpaste. But how can you tell what’s a marketing ploy versus a solid statistic? In this episode, Mona shares three questions to ask yourself when you’re faced with a suspicious statistic. (You don’t need your wisdom teeth to figure it out!) Want to…

Published

5 years ago

October 26, 2021

CYBER TECH TV

Want to hear more from Mona? Follow Am I Normal? on Apple Podcasts:

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

Become a TED Member:
Follow TED on Twitter:
Like TED on Facebook:
Subscribe to our channel:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

Transcriber:

When it comes to toothpaste commercials,

you’ve probably heard claims like,

nine out of 10 dentists
recommend “Brighter, Whiter.”

Or maybe it’s four
out of five or 80 percent.

But either way, these companies expect
you to see a wall of white coats,

trust their authority
and think no further.

Now that approach is basically BS,
and you probably know it’s BS,

but the question is:
How can you trust your BS radar?

[Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi]

Well, when I’m faced
with suspicious statistics,

I tend to ask myself three questions.

First, what were people actually asked?

Sometimes the question
that is put to survey respondents

is wildly different than the one
that ends up on posters and billboards.

For instance, in 2007,
one toothpaste ad in the UK

claimed that more than 80 percent
of dentists recommended their products.

What that sounds like

is that a majority of dentists prefer
their product over all others,

that those dentists were asked
if this was the best product.

But when the Advertising Standards
Authority looked into it,

they discovered that the dentists were
asked to recommend several toothpastes,

not one single choice.

In fact, another brand
was found to be almost as popular.

To no one’s surprise,
the ad was deemed misleading.

Now, the second question to ask is:
What aren’t you telling me?

In the 1970s, a sugarless gum company
claimed that four out five dentists

recommended their product.

Now, their slogan was pretty upfront

about the fact that these dentists
were only recommending the product

to people who already chewed gum,

but they weren’t so forthcoming
about the fifth dentist.

Decades later, the manufacturer
made fun of it in a new ad campaign

where they blamed the fifth
dentist’s different thinking

on a freak accident,
like a sudden squirrel bite.

Now, since I’m all about
the deviations in the data,

I decided to look into this
a little bit further.

In fact, it’s not that the fifth dentist
recommended chewing sugary gum.

What they don’t say
is that most of them recommended

that their patients don’t chew gum at all.

The last thing to ask is:
What was the survey context?

Because there’s a really big difference

between saying “nine
out of 10 dentists agree,”

and “nine out of these 10 dentists agree.”

Size matters and so does methodology.

According to the American
Dental Association,

there are about 200,000
registered dentists in the US.

I’m not going to bore you
with the maths here,

but to get a statistically significant
sample of 200,000 people,

you need about 400.

So if you’re reading in the fine print
that only 50 dentists were surveyed,

you know that’s not
statistically significant.

It’s just a marketing ploy.

So the next time you see one of these ads,

ask yourself:

What were people actually asked?

What’s gone unsaid?

And what was the survey context?

Hopefully, with those three questions
and a little bit of skepticism,

you will be able to understand
when the data is legit

and when it’s irrelevant.

Nine out of 10 Monas agree.

[*No such survey
took place]

Up Next

Apple Watch Series 7 review: A modest upgrade to the Series 6

Don't Miss

Sony Xperia Pro-I hands-on

58 Comments

Life Is My Opportunity☀️

October 26, 2021 at 4:20 pm

Oscar Wilde — ‘Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.’

Reply
- John Kesich
  
  October 27, 2021 at 1:20 am
  
  “their passions a quotation” – no irony there.
  
  Reply
Pep

October 26, 2021 at 4:22 pm

9/10 Companys with adds on youtube recommend this video.

Reply
Δ.Μ

October 26, 2021 at 4:28 pm

9 στους 10 κατασκευαστές πλυντηρίων συνιστούν Calgon.

????????Με Calgon *ντιν ντιν* ????????

Reply
Julie Fisher

October 26, 2021 at 4:31 pm

Wow 9 out of 10 Monas agree…must be true then. But what do they agree about?

Reply
TED

October 26, 2021 at 4:32 pm

Enjoying Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi? Check out more episodes here:

Reply
- Alwyn Nito
  
  October 27, 2021 at 9:51 am
  
  I’m paranoid somebody’s trying to make me internally combust
  
  Reply
Lasagna is pretty cool

October 26, 2021 at 4:38 pm

As a company I could ask dentists from a country where you can buy a degree in a dark alleyway instead of actual licensed professionals by high standards

Reply
SPEAK UP

October 26, 2021 at 4:59 pm

SENSODYNE FRESH BREATH FOR LIFE ????

Reply
SimSim

October 26, 2021 at 5:06 pm

I guess thats the basic of statistic use. The porblem is just that the normal person often doesn’t have the insight or resources to do these basic steps.

Reply
American Thoughts

October 26, 2021 at 5:19 pm

Lol

Reply
Wabanaki [People Of The Dawnland]

October 26, 2021 at 5:30 pm

Rule #1. If you hear it in an advertisement, presume it to be a lie, as if the US government was saying it.

Reply
Walter Bernuy

October 26, 2021 at 5:39 pm

Ads should always be irrelevant and I work marketing

Reply
Lyssa’s Letters

October 26, 2021 at 5:55 pm

Great video!!!

Reply
Ashwath p

October 26, 2021 at 6:42 pm

Most of indian tooth paste, detergent, facewash ads are using the technology that are not present in the current world but, they do, because their scientists are already living in future 2500????????????????

Reply
BeASporTm8

October 26, 2021 at 7:00 pm

The approach is good. So what to do when the info is hush-hush cuz persona X has rights on it? Its absurd to go out and ask those remaining 350 or even beyond that number of experts.

Reply
Els Kersten - van Dijk

October 26, 2021 at 7:06 pm

As the expression goes: they use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post – for support rather than illumination

Reply
David Walker

October 26, 2021 at 7:25 pm

DO NOT USE TOOTHPATE WITH FLUORIDE IN

Reply
Giant Asparagus

October 26, 2021 at 8:13 pm

Summarize… Context. thats it

Reply
Justin Pamela

October 26, 2021 at 9:18 pm

I realized that the secret to making a million is saving for a better investment. l always tell myself you don’t need that new Aston Martin or vacation in Hawaii just yet and that mindset helps me make more money Investing.

Reply
- Anita Wilson
  
  October 26, 2021 at 10:37 pm
  
  I met Mr Alvaro William last year for the first time at a conference in London, I invested $25,000 and traded in one month making close to $200,000
  
  Reply
- Smart Happiness
  
  October 26, 2021 at 10:41 pm
  
  Really you guys know him?, I even thought I’m the only one he has helped walk through the fears and falls of forex trading
  
  Reply
- Faith Brodrick
  
  October 26, 2021 at 10:42 pm
  
  Most people remain poor only because friends and relatives discouraged and advised them against investing and trading forex while the wise ones kept investing and growing higher financially
  
  Reply
- Christina Zachary
  
  October 26, 2021 at 10:45 pm
  
  He gives he’s clients nice attention
  
  Reply
- Kenneth Francisco
  
  October 26, 2021 at 10:54 pm
  
  Believe me he’s the best when it comes to Cryptocurrency trading, your profit is assured.
  
  Reply
- +❶ ❽❺❽(❽❽❽)❾❹⓿❹whatsApp
  
  October 27, 2021 at 9:29 pm
  
  ..
  
  Reply
SUSsurro

October 26, 2021 at 9:44 pm

Finally, I can now rest in peace.

Reply
Artimis Fowl

October 26, 2021 at 10:45 pm

Confession: I clicked hoping for a deep dive on what teeth care products are actually helpful. Glad for the data analysis refresher though

Reply
- Goolag Tube
  
  October 27, 2021 at 10:04 pm
  
  Why would you expect a deep dive? This channel is nothing but corporate propaganda.
  
  Reply
cow gives milk

October 26, 2021 at 11:04 pm

Can’t wait to make toothpaste that’s recommend by 10/10 dentist.

Reply
Eli Nope

October 26, 2021 at 11:28 pm

This is one of those moments in life if I am not sure if I am paranoid or not….

Reply
John Kesich

October 27, 2021 at 1:19 am

Yeah, they asked 1,000 dentists, pick the 9 who recommended it, and through in a dissenter to look legit.

Reply
John Kesich

October 27, 2021 at 1:19 am

Yeah, they asked 1,000 dentists, pick the 9 who recommended it, and threw in a dissenter to look legit.

Reply
Juan Gonzalez

October 27, 2021 at 5:14 am

What’s even more disgusting was that Colgate was found to have fecal traces in their toothpaste coming from China

Reply
THE SOPHIST QUOTES

October 27, 2021 at 7:25 am

“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” – Brian Tracy

Reply
Artem Klimov

October 27, 2021 at 8:08 am

Short and very useful, thanks!

Reply
dorgesh

October 27, 2021 at 8:16 am

The only reason their products are “recommend by dentists” is because they’re constantly giving our freebies at dentistry conferences

Reply
Gerald Merkowitz

October 27, 2021 at 11:03 am

9 dentists out of 10 recommend me to buy something? Sure, that sounds reasonable!
97% of climatoligists recommend we save life on Earth? Nah, they must be sellouts.

Reply
BigMo

October 27, 2021 at 12:58 pm

Now if something could be done about all the misleading ads on YouTube….. what a marketing cesspool

Reply
iq max

October 27, 2021 at 1:43 pm

Sorry

Reply
Tim Rox

October 27, 2021 at 4:58 pm

They also love showing people in white coats that never say they’re dentists or doctors and the public just believes they are because its implied

Reply
Barbara Acheampong

October 27, 2021 at 6:39 pm

Great

Reply
Some Guy On The Internet

October 27, 2021 at 9:07 pm

Still waiting for Ted to talk,

Reply
Goolag Tube

October 27, 2021 at 10:03 pm

When you have to talk down to people and use cartoon graphics, IT’S PROPAGANDA!

Reply
Nomar Norono

October 28, 2021 at 2:13 am

I found this video very helpful! 9 out 10 people agreed with me.

Reply
Alwyn Nito

October 28, 2021 at 5:53 am

is anybody making sun proof breathable nano overlap multilayer (block light) full body suit uniforms for workers in the sun alot or firemen uniforms to lessen or stop carcinogens from their work getting into them???? Edit: Brackets

Reply
Emperor

October 28, 2021 at 7:23 am

ColgateColgate Colgate Colgate Colgate Colgate Colgate Colgate Colgate

Reply
Liynox

October 28, 2021 at 9:04 am

Dentists that recommend it work for the company they recommend

Reply
Peter Velzen

October 28, 2021 at 11:36 am

Question for everyone: What is the theoretical minimum number of votes with which one could become president of the United states?

Reply
Dr Philemon

October 28, 2021 at 5:41 pm

Please what is BI-ES? She meant biased?

Reply
WhiteSpatula

October 29, 2021 at 4:33 am

As a child, I had a neighbor named Mona. She was always bright and energetic, optimistic and encouraging, and very savvy. And I just know, with complete confidence, if surveyed, she would most definitely agree. Now.. I really don’t recollect knowing any other Monas in my life. So I’m counting that as 2 out of 2 Monas for me. I’m sold! 😉 -Phill, Las Vegas

Reply
John Otvos

October 29, 2021 at 10:06 am

The only question necessary is: *Who is paying for this* ???

Reply
Troy Hayder

October 29, 2021 at 6:13 pm

I’m beginning to doubt this whole brushing teeth thing… I didn’t brush my teeth for years… And had no problems whatsoever… Now I brush a lot and I’m getting cavities… Maybe its like hair.. If you stop shampooing it cleans itself…

Reply

CNET

Side by Side: 2015 Steam Controller vs. 2026 Steam Controller

It’s been over 10 years since Valve last came out with a Steam Controller. Here’s how the 2015 Steam Controller and the new 2026 Steam Controller look side by side 🎮 #steam #steamcontroller #valve #gaming #wirelesscontroller

Published

20 hours ago

April 28, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

CNET

Tech Terms You Need to Know When Choosing a New TV

These are the terms we refer to constantly when testing a TV, from color to brightness and shadow detail. You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below TCL 65 Inch Class QM8L Series | SQD-Mini-LED QLED Smart TV Samsung 65-Inch Class OLED S95F 4K Glare Free Smart TV *Cnet may get commission…

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

These are the terms we refer to constantly when testing a TV, from color to brightness and shadow detail.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
TCL 65 Inch Class QM8L Series | SQD-Mini-LED QLED Smart TV
Samsung 65-Inch Class OLED S95F 4K Glare Free Smart TV
*Cnet may get commission on this offer.

Read more about it on CNET.com
How CNET Tests TVs in 2026
Best TVs for 2026: Expert Tested and Reviewed

0:00 Introduction
0:48 Brightness
1:34 Gamma
2:47 Color
4:21 Conclusion

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

#tv #tech #oleddisplay #4k #hdr #crt #display

CNET

The New Steam Controller Is Real! Find Out What’s Improved

Valve is bringing back the Steam Controller, and it’s a massive upgrade over the original. From the $99 price tag to where this could fit in the Valve lineup, we’re breaking down what we like, how it handles, and why this is the perfect companion for the Steam Deck, Steam Machine or any gaming PC.…

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Steam Controller
Valve Steam Deck OLED 1TB
*CNET may get a commission on these offers

Read more about the new Valve Steam Controller on CNET.com
Valve’s New Steam Controller, Coming May 4, May Be My Favorite Controller, Period

0:00 Intro & First Impressions
1:00 The Original Steam Controller
1:52 Controller Features & Layout
3:07 The New Charge Puck
3:45 Price & Value
4:12 Steam Machine Speculation
5:24 Build Quality vs Competitors
7:07 Steam Frame VR Talk
7:26 Conclusion & Outro