Dental Care The purpose of rhetoric's is to persuade the reader to accept the authors' point-of-view. To that end, the authors take great pains in constructing their argument with emotion and pathos and certain structural stylistic skills that, he thinks, will best persuade the readers and grab their attention. Certain articles have to be written in a more authoritative tone than others, and other articles may have to be crafted in a more humorous or entertaining style than others depending on the targeted reader.

The authors in question, Laheij and colleagues (2011), seem to have a mixed readership. On the one hand, the gist of their article ("Healthcare-associated viral and bacterial infections in dentistry") is slanted towards the professional dentist where they exhort him or her to focus on dentil hygiene. On the other hand, their article may also be said to have a peripheral impact on the lay reader in terms of informing him that there are more oral bacteria than he is aware of. Knowing this, perhaps something can be done to prevent this.

Laheij et al. (2011) inform us of the various cross-transmitted bacteria that are likely to fill our cavities. Knowledge of these microorganisms is unknown to us due to the fact that not only are cases of cross-transmission underreported by patients, healthcare workers and authorities, but they are, also, rarely mentioned in the literature. We need to do more to prevent this problem from recurring and need to ensure greater hygiene in the dental practice.

The rhetorical strategies that the authors use include persuasion, exemplification (as when they tell us that "Chickenpox is the manifestation of VZV primary infection"), description, comparison and contrast, division and classification (the authors divide their essay into manageable parts); definition; cause and effect analysis; and argumentation..

Framework of analysis

Laheij and colleagues (2011) seem to have a mixed readership. On the one hand, the gist of their article is slanted towards the professional dentist where they exhort him or her to focus on dentil hygiene. On the other hand, their article may also be said to have a peripheral impact on the lay reader in terms of informing him that there are more oral bacteria than he is aware of. Knowing this, perhaps something can be done to prevent this.

The overt objective of the article seems to be one of persuading the dentist and her team to maintain and develop his practices of hygiene in their office. The authors set out to demonstrate to the dentist the fact that many, less mentioned microorganisms frequent their surroundings. The fact that these bacteria are little mentioned does not mean that they do not exist and do not need to be treated. They're cross-transmitted in the dental environment and some, such as the Hepatitis B virus can be a real threat for cross-infection in dentistry.

Another likely audience is the patient himself warning him about the unknown 'dangers of the dental environment. The dentist is there to eliminate oral infection. What is less known is that the dentist -- environment or team -- may be the very cause of the infection itself? Patients -- and the unskilled worker of the dental team -- can take steps in preventing these infections from proliferating by, for instance, being aware of the problem and demanding better hygiene for device or instrument used during dental procedures.

Laheij and colleagues (2011) slant their article in a readable, comprehensive, persuasive style. They address the professional audience and are, therefore, authoritative in tone, but they elaborate on their instances and scientific terms in a way that the lay reader can understand. They are also thorough without being boring or pontificating, and provide plenty of examples so that both lay reader and practitioner can enter the gravitas of the situation.

The rhetorical strategy of Division and classification is achieved by authors clearly preceding...

With logos (logic), the authors detail the various bacteria and viruses and exemplify how they can be contaminated from dental team to patient and even from one patient to another. Ethos (credibility) is demonstrated by the extensive knowledge and use of dentistry terms and background of subject. Finally, pathos (emotion) is covert but, nonetheless, exists in a subdued sense. We get a sense of urgency about the need to strive for better dental hygiene, the imperative is frequently used, and, in fact, the authors conclude their article with a high dose of the imperative repeated in a rhetorical manner worthy of the best of orators:
Every patient should be treated as potentially infectious. The dental team should be acquainted with the biological principles behind these procedures. The cross-infection control regulations should undergo regular monitoring and need to be subjected to revision whenever necessary.

The rhetorical strategies that the authors use include persuasion, exemplification, description, comparison and contrast, division and classification; definition; cause and effect analysis; and argumentation. Appeal is used oftentimes in the article as with the example above but also in indirect ways such as the authors telling us that "Chickenpox is the manifestation of VZV primary infection" and with them telling us that one patient actually died from a cross-transmitted infection. These later examples point to less conspicuous appeal, but are appeal nonetheless since it dramatizes the situation and brings it down to familiar terms.

7. Logos

logos (logic) exists in that the authors detail the various bacteria and viruses and exemplify how they can be contaminated from dental team to patient and even from one patient to another. They also start their essay with an introduction that logically leads informs points that the essay will cover; the essay as a whole is segmented into sections that discuss the various bi-directional viruses and bacteria with description of each microorganism, and the authors winding up their essay with "general considerations and concluding remarks." The rhetorical strategy of 'cause and effect" is evident' by the authors describing each bacteria, providing a purview of studies on it, and explaining why it is under-reported as well as why it can be more severe than is generally known.

8. Ethos

Ethos (credibility) is demonstrated by the extensive knowledge and use of dentistry terms and background of subject. Statistics liberally layer description of each microorganism as can be seen with the example of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) where the authors tell us 'In Europe, the age standardized seropositivity for HSV-1 ranges from 52% in Finland to 84% in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic" and then go on to provide numerical data about the prevalence of HSV-1 on other parts of the Mainland and in Western countries. They also tell us how HSV-1 is transmitted and its effect:

HSV is highly contagious and is transmitted via exposure of the mucosa or skin to infectious secreta or contents of an infectious HSV blister. In the periphery, HSV-1 is most commonly associated with mucosal infections of the oral region and HSV-2 with genital infections, although both viruses are detected in either anatomical region. In the oral region, HSV-1 primary infection causes gingivostomatitis in 1 -- 10% of patients and labial herpes or intraoral herpetic ulcers are typical symptoms of reactivation

Use of the Latin terms, statistical data, knowledge of the amount of reports on the subject and substance of each of these reports are only some manifestation of the ethos, or credibility, of the writers.

9. Strategy

Pathos, contained in the rhetorical strategies of argumentation and persuasiveness, is another appeal that provides the tone for the argument. Pathos (emotion) is covert but, nonetheless, exists in a subdued sense. We get a sense of urgency about the need to strive for better dental hygiene, the imperative is frequently used, and, in fact, the authors conclude their article with a high dose of the imperative repeated in a rhetorical manner worthy of the best of orators:

Every patient should be treated as potentially infectious. The dental team should be acquainted with the biological principles behind these procedures. The cross-infection control regulations should undergo regular monitoring and need to be subjected to revision whenever necessary.

Persuasion is used frequently in the article as with the example above but also in indirect ways such as the authors telling us that "Chickenpox is the manifestation of VZV primary infection" and with them telling us that one patient actually died from a cross-transmitted infection. These later examples point to less conspicuous appeal, but are appeal nonetheless since it dramatizes the situation and brings it down to familiar terms. Pathos is supported by exemplification, description, comparison and contrast, definition, and cause and effect analysis. Exemplification and definition will be elaborated on in the following two sections.

10. Strategy

Exemplification is used by authors bringing us into the dental room itself and telling us that: "The possibility also exists that pathogens present in dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) could be spread by aerosols created by dental hand-pieces,…