Dental Ethics and Professionalism
Every day dentists are faced with ethical questions. You may have learned about ethical conduct during dental school. Depending on how many years ago this formal education ended, ended, you may benefit from a refresher about these principles.
The American Dental Association’s Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct is a helpful framework for this. A code of ethics marks the moral boundaries within which professional services may be ethically provided.
As the ADA states, "The dental profession holds a special position of trust within society. As a consequence, society affords the profession certain privileges that are not available to members of the public at large. In return, the profession makes a commitment to society that its members will adhere to high ethical standards of conduct."
Five Ethical Principles
1. Autonomy
Patient autonomy is the backbone of the dentist-patient relationship. Dentists have an ethical duty to treat patients according to their desires, within the bounds of the standard of accepted dental care, and without jeopardizing patient confidentiality. Patient autonomy encompasses topics like informed consent and confidentiality.
2. Nonmaleficence
Under the principle of nonmaleficence, the dentist’s primary obligation is to avoid doing harm to patients. It encompasses topics like continuing education, referrals, and delegation of care.
3. Beneficence
Under the principle of beneficence, the dentist’s primary obligation is to promote the well-being of their patients. Beneficence encompasses topics such as but is not limited to: fee-for-service versus contractual patient relationships, as well as competent and timely delivery of dental care.
4. Justice
Under the principle of justice, the dentist’s primary obligation is the duty of fundamental fairness in dealings with patients. Justice encompasses topics like: justifiable criticism of our colleagues (is it a matter of bad work or a bad outcome?), emergency care, discrimination, improving access to care, expert testimony, and fair dealings with not only patients, but with colleagues.
5. Veracity
Under the principle of veracity, the dentist’s primary obligation is a duty to communicate truthfully to the patient. Veracity encompasses topics like but not limited to: communication of treatment options to patients, communicating poor outcomes or untoward complications to patients, dealings with insurance companies, and representing fees to patient.
Ethics affects almost every decision made in the dental office. It dictates relationships with patients, colleagues, office staff, and the public-at-large. If you ignore ethics, you run the risk of making unethical decisions that can lead to unethical conduct, which may or may not have legal implications.
Source: ADA.com
Disclaimer: The information contained on the DentistCare Blog does not establish a standard of care, nor does it constitute legal advice. The information is for general informational purposes only. We encourage all blog visitors to consult with their personal attorneys for legal advice, as specific legal requirements may vary from state to state. Links or references to organizations, websites, or other information is for reference use only and do not constitute the rendering of legal, financial, or other professional advice or recommendations. All information contained on the blog is subject to change.
