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Lecture 3 - Dental Ethics

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20 views

Lecture 3 - Dental Ethics

Uploaded by

luna.rifai
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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DENTAL ETHICS

Lecture 3

Wednesday 18/9/2024
OBJECTIVES

Introduction
 Definition of ethics

 Concept of dental ethics

 Key principles of dental ethics

 General dental ethics principles

 Confidentiality

 Examples of ethical and unethical behaviors

 Importance of code of ethics

 Solving ethical dilemmas

Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
▪ Professional dentists are bound by an ethical code
of conduct.
• Ethics deal with moral conduct (right and wrong)
and (good and evil). It include values, high
standards of conduct, and professional and personal
obligations in interacting with each other.
• These qualities are important to dental healthcare
professionals, as they provide dental care to their
patients.
• Ethics seeks to answer two basic questions:
 What should I do?
 Why should I do it?
1- DEFINITION OF ETHICS
o Ethics are defined as “code of morals practiced by
an individual or group of people”.

o It compasses the basic concepts and fundamental


principles of decent human behavior such as
distinguishing between good and evil, between
right and wrong human actions, and between
virtuous and non virtuous characteristics of
people.
2- CONCEPT OF DENTAL ETHICS
o Dental ethics are known as “a system of principles
governing the dental practice, a moral obligation
to render the best quality of dental services to the
patient and to maintain an honest relationship
with other professionals and society.”

o The ADA Code of Ethics includes five


principles: patient autonomy ("self-governance"),
non-maleficence ("do no harm"), beneficence ("do
good"), justice ("fairness") and veracity
("truthfulness").
3- BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DENTAL ETHICS
1) Patient Autonomy

o Patient autonomy or “self-governance” is the


primary obligation of the dentist. It includes
“involving the patient in treatment decisions in a
meaningful way, with due consideration being
given to patient needs, desires, abilities, and
safeguarding the patient privacy.”
o The main components of patient autonomy require
informing the patient, involving the patient, and
keeping patient records confidential.
2) Non-maleficence

o Non-maleficence or “to do no harm” means the


“professional has a duty to refrain from harm to
the patient.”
o Non-maleficence covers a broad spectrum of dental
ethics such as provider knowledge, impairment,
post-exposure, patient abandonment, and personal
relationships.

o Non-maleficence requires the dental professional


to have the skill and knowledge to treat within
their limitations.
3) Beneficence

o Beneficence or “to do good” is the principle that


states the “professionals have the duty to act for
the benefit of others.”
o Beneficence involves “the competent and timely
delivery of services,” the providers presenting
themselves in a professional manner to the
community and within their practices, they are
observing rules and regulations within their
practice, and providing their patients with
research and development of purposed treatments
and mandated reporting.
4) Justice

o Justice or “fairness” is “delivering dental care


without prejudice.”
o Justice covers an array of topics, such as patient
selection, emergency service, justifiable criticism,
expert testimony, and rebates or split fees.
o Initially, patient selection cannot be determined by
race, creed, sex, or disability. However, the dentist
may “exercise reasonable discretion” in patient
selection.
5) Veracity
o Veracity or “truthfulness” is “the professionals’
obligations to be honest and trustworthy in their
dealing with patients.”
o Veracity’s key principles involve respect, trust, and
intellectual integrity.

• Respecting the clinician-patient relationship.


• Communication with the patient in a truthful and
honest way when diagnosing and treating.
• Maintaining “intellectual integrity” by providing
research-based diagnosis or treatment when
communicating to the patient.
4- GENERAL DENTAL ETHICAL
PRINCIPLES
❑ Dental professionals follow a set of principles:
o Put Patients’ interests first
o Communicate effectively with patients
o Obtain consent
o Maintain and protect patients’ information
o Have a clear and effective complaints procedure
o Work with colleagues in a way that is in patients’ best
interests
o Maintain, develop and work within professional knowledge
and skills
o Raise concerns if patients are at risk
o Make sure the personal behavior maintains confidence in
self and the dental profession.
5- CONFIDENTIALITY
 Confidentiality is a very important issue in the
health profession.
 Healthcare professionals have an obligation to
respect the patient’s privacy.
 However, conflicts involving the principle of
confidentiality, such as in reporting suspected
child or elder abuse, will arise.
 Sometimes the patient’s right to confidentiality
must be balanced against the rights of other
individuals.
PATIENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPECT THAT THEIR
CONVERSATIONS IN THE DENTAL OFFICE WILL BE
KEPT CONFIDENTIAL.
6- EXAMPLES OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
 Informing a sales clerk that he or she has
undercharged you for an item (principle of justice)
 Admitting that you have made a serious error
(principle of autonomy)
 Helping a fellow student study (principle of
beneficence)
 Refusing to gossip about a fellow student
(principle of doing no harm)
7- EXAMPLES OF UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR
 Charging the patient for a full set of x-rays when
only six films were taken (principle of justice)
 Pressuring a classmate into a decision
(principle of autonomy)
 Refusing to help a classmate learn (principle of
beneficence)
 Harming another person by repeating gossip
about him or her (principle of doing no harm)
8- IMPORTANCE OF CODE OF ETHICS
❑ All of the major professions have written codes
of ethics. These are voluntary standards of
behavior, that serve as a method of self-policing
within a profession.
❑ There are many reasons behind, including:
 To demonstrate to the public the standard of conduct that
can be expected from its members.
 To increase the ethical consciousness and ethical
responsibility of its members.
 To guide its members in making informed ethical
decisions.
 To establish a standard for professional judgment and
conduct.
9- SOLVING ETHICAL DILEMMAS

• Step 1: Identify the alternatives.

• Step 2: Determine all implications.

• Step 3: Rank the alternatives.


• Step 4: Choose a course of action.
CONCLUSION
 An ethical dentist will not wish to participate in
substandard care or unlawful practices that may
be harmful to patients.

 Once the clinician is knowledgeable of the dental


ethic key components, these principles can be
applied to navigate the patient appointment.
When diagnosing a patient, not only do the
clinical findings play a role but also the ethics to
steer the appointment successfully.

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