CHICAGO, Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dentists were named No. 5 for their honesty and ethical standards in a Gallup Poll released this month. In previous years' polls, dentists also scored in the top 10. The public was asked to rank 22 professions on a five-point scale, ranging from "very high" to "very low," and 62 percent of respondents ranked dentists as "very high" or "high."

Dentist scored slightly lower than physicians, pharmacists and nurses but tied their 2006 score. "The honesty ratings of all medical professions are at the highest levels in Gallup's history, albeit by slim margins," according to Gallup.

"The ADA has a stringent Code of Ethics, and we're pleased to see that the public recognizes that our ADA members are truly putting these into practice," said Dr. Robert Faiella, president, American Dental Association.

Nurses scored the highest of all the professions tested—with 85 percent of respondents rating the ethics and honesty of nurses as very high or high. Rounding out the top 10 after nurses were pharmacists, physicians, engineers, dentists, police officers, college teachers, clergy, psychiatrists and chiropractors.

The lowest ranked professions were members of Congress (only 10 percent rated their ethics and honesty as very high or high) and car salespeople (8 percent). 

Results of the poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Nov. 26-29 with a random sampling of 1,015 adults age 18 and older in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Gallup has conducted this same poll periodically but doesn't always include dentists as one of the professions tested.

Editor's Note: Reporters are invited to follow the ADA on Twitter @AmerDentalAssn

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 157,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit www.ada.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website www.MouthHealthy.org.

SOURCE American Dental Association