FROM HEALTHY SMILES TO CLINICAL EXCELLENCE: A PRAGMALINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF ADVERTISING DISCOURSE IN ORAL HEALTHCARE
FROM HEALTHY SMILES TO CLINICAL EXCELLENCE: A PRAGMALINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF ADVERTISING DISCOURSE IN ORAL HEALTHCARE

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the pragmalinguistic and persuasive features of advertising discourse in the field of oral health, focusing on two complementary categories: consumer-oriented oral care products and professional dental materials used in clinical practice. The study examines how linguistic and visual strategies are employed to construct credibility, influence decision-making, and shape perceptions of oral health among different target audiences. The research investigates a corpus of promotional materials including advertisements for toothpastes, mouthwashes, gingival retraction systems, restorative materials, and other dental technologies. The analysis reveals that advertising discourse in oral healthcare relies heavily on evaluative language, metaphorical representations, presuppositions, and conversational implicatures to promote product effectiveness and desirability. Consumer-oriented advertisements frequently associate oral health with broader social values such as attractiveness and well-being, while professional dental advertising emphasizes precision, predictability, innovation, clinical performance, and minimally invasive treatment. Visual elements function alongside verbal messages to create multimodal persuasive effects, reinforcing product claims and contributing to the construction of professional and patient identities. The findings suggest that contemporary oral health advertising extends beyond the transmission of scientific information and increasingly incorporates symbolic and emotional dimensions. While these strategies enhance persuasive impact, they may also contribute to the idealization of clinical outcomes and the commercialization of healthcare communication.

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