Statistics can really be skewed any way, and some sources are certainly questionable to say the least, but when it comes to integrating social media into the average dental practice marketing plan, dentists still seem to be in a holding pattern.

Here’s a chart from a January 25, 2011 report courtesy of Verasoni:

For some dentists out there, location-based digital marketing opportunities like Facebook Places or Foursquare represents an easy cost-effective addition to the overall practice marketing plan.

Some dentists are already deploying their geo-location identity across multiple location-based environments.

Whether or not Foursquare goes the way of Gowalla or Google Places, all signs indicate a digitally available, location-based identity will help you monitor your online practice reputation.

It no longer matters how you feel about digital marketing, the Internet, advertising; or religion and politics for that matter.