Tips on how to use the online Search feature:

This database lookup allows you to search for character strings like “ortho” which will display records containing words like “orthodontist”, “orthodontistry”, “orthodontics” or even “unorthodox”.

When you first click the geographical region you wish to search within, you will be presented with a wildcard search box followed by an overview list of the first 20 member dentists in that region, sorted by last name. When entering a search term, like a zip code, in the wildcard search box, the system will search all fields for that zip code. To conduct a more precise search, click the "Advanced Search" link.

The Extended or Advanced search feature allows you to search for 2 or more terms in combined fields, by selecting "All Fields". Remember, if “Any Field” is selected (the default setting) you will be performing a wildcard search of any field containing your search term. So you could enter the character string “32301” in the ZIP field, and if "Any Field" is selected you could get a record with an address of "32301 Elm Street" in zip code "32333".

In extended search mode, when you select “All Fields”, your search terms will apply only to the fields you place them in. Let’s say you want to find “Female” dentists in “32301”. You would select "All Fields", then place the character “F” (for female) in the GENDER field and “32301” in the Zip field, then click "Search". Selecting “All Fields” avoids returning records with the character “F” in “Any Field” (like “Fred” in the FIRSTNAME field, for example).

Generally, selecting "All Fields" in an Extended search will return much narrower, and better, results.