The influence of ‘Golden Age' authors of detective fiction, in particular, D. L. Sayers, on the public opinion of dentists and dentistry

With her wide readership and sympathetic and intelligent handling of dentists and dentistry in her detective novels and short stories, it is probable that Dorothy Leigh Sayers(1893-1957) influenced the public perception of dentists favourably, as being true professionals, particularly after the 1921 Act made it a fully closed specialty. Her encounter with a dental automaton seen when she was very young is acknowledged by her as a formative influence.