argument200 [中华龙第11次作业，同组的G友一起努力哦]

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Argument 200

Statistics collected from dentists indicate that three times more men than women faint while visiting the dentist. This evidence suggests that men are more likely to be distressed about having dental work done than women are. Thus, dentists who advertise to attract patients should target the male consumer and emphasize both the effectiveness of their anesthetic techniques and the sensitivity of their staff to nervous or suffering patients.

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1. We are seldom informed about the extent of the dental problems, the number of female and male patients, and the methods of curing dentist problems.
2. Although I concede men are more likely faint than woman, this does not mean that men felt more distressed about dental work than women did.
3. The validity of the recommendation is dubious.
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In this argument, the author recommends that dental hospitals should target the male consumer and emphasize the effectiveness of the excellent anesthetic techniques and the concern of their staff to the patients. The main reason is from statistics which indicate that men faint three times more than women do. In addition, the evidence shows that men are more distressed about dental work than women are. Clear scrutiny of each of the factors, however, reveals that none of them lends credible support to the arguer's recommendation.

First, we are seldom informed about preconditions about the dental work operated by the dentists. The variables, such as the extent of the dental problems and the methods of the curing, could affect the different number of faints between men and women. If the dental problem of man is more severe than those of women, if the anesthetic techniques used in female are more advanced than those in male, it is entirely possible that men faint more times. Further, little information about the number of the patients is provided by the author. Is the figure of women patients 100, of which 30 individuals faint, while the figure of men is 10000, but only 90 of them faint. The result is perhaps opposite to the conclusion made by author. Unless the author rules out such possible reasons, could we thoroughly believe that men are more likely faint than women.

Second, although I concede that the statistics collected from dentists are credible, this does not mean that male feels more distressed about dental work than female does. Common sense tells us that the mental endurance of men is stronger than that of women. Perhaps, even the number of faints is large, they feel no afraid of having dental work. However, though women seldom faint, they are more probably afraid of curing dental problems so that they rarely go to dental clinic. This may also explain why the number of faints is much lower, but it may influence their dental health.

Third, though I concede that men more likely feel distressed than women do, the validity of the recommendation is dubious. Since the different men may have various health conditions and preferences, it is entirely likely that some of them may reject to take anesthetic techniques while have dental work done, or the propaganda of a certain clinic may barely attract the patients, or some male may be allergic about narcotic drugs. In addition, the staff's sensitivity of those who have dental problems does not amount to the fact that the work of dentists could help reduce the afraid and the pain of the patients.

To sum up, the recommendation is unconvincing as it stands. To substantiate his recommendation, the author should provide detail and precise information about the statistics and the cause-and-effect relationship. To better assess it, we also need the extra evidence to bolster that the advertisement will influence the choices of patients.