The electronic world is expanding exponentially, and all dental professionals face the challenge of keeping up with the rapid advances in technology. Dental professionals have the opportunity to use technology in their practices and private lives, but they must consider the ethical implications. This course will explore these issues, including the sensitive issue of cyberbullying and the dentist’s obligation in such cases. Historical perspective Although the earliest evidence of the practice of dentistry dates back to the Indus valley civilization (American Dental Education Association [ADEA], n.d.) and the Egyptian era (American Dental Association, n.d.a), dental education did not become formalized until the early part of the 19th century (ADEA, n.d.). At that time, both dental practitioners and the public began to recognize the importance of properly training those providing dental care and dentistry, and dentistry began its transition from a craft vocation to a learned profession (Taylor, 1922). An exploration of the history of medical and dental ethics is important to an understanding of the concept of professionalism as it relates to dentistry. Medical ethics has its foundation in ancient Greece around the fifth century BCE (Muacevic and Adler, 2018). The physician Hippocrates, recognized as the founding father of medicine, espoused ethical ideals that still hold true in medical practice today.
This basic-level course will help dental professionals gain a better understanding of dental ethics, professionalism, and current ethical challenges, with a particular emphasis on the impact of the digital age. A section of this course will address the ways that the law and ethics intersect. Through a systematic, case-based approach, this course will provide dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants with the tools to recognize and navigate the complex ethical issues that may arise in practice.
EVOLUTION OF HEALTHCARE ETHICS
From the time of Hippocrates to the third century in the Common Era, evidence can be found in literature regarding the incorporation of ethical standards into the practice of medicine. The earliest known document about medical ethics is an ancient text titled Epidemics I (Jonsen, 2000). Although this text, written in the time of Hippocrates and credited to him by scholars, is mostly clinical in nature, one statement stands out: “As to diseases, make a habit of two things – to help and not to harm” (Hippocrates, trans. 1923, p. 165). Oath is another text from this time period. It is widely attributed to Hippocrates, although debate exists in contemporary historical literature concerning its authorship The Hippocratic Oath is a part of the collection of works known as the Hippocratic Corpus which was composed over hundreds of years so Hippocrates could not have authored them all (Bad Ancient, 2020). This famous document is commonly known as the Hippocratic Oath . Text Box 1 contains the classic version of this oath.
Text Box 1: The Hippocratic Oath: Classic Version The Oath of Hippocrates I SWEAR by Apollo the physician and Æsculapius, and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment: • I will keep this Oath and this stipulation – to reckon him who taught me this Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same footing as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they shall wish to learn it, without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every other mode of instruction. • I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teachers, and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to none others. • I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. • I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art. • I will not cut persons labouring under the stone, but will leave this to be done by men who are practitioners of this work. Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further, from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves. Whatever, in connection with my professional service, or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad. • I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret. While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all men, in all times. But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot. Note . From Oath of Hippocrates. (1910). In Harvard classics (Vol. 38). Boston, MA: P.F. Collier and Son. Retrieved from http://www.cirp.org/library/ ethics/hippocrates/.
The Hippocratic Oath provides medical practitioners with a framework for the ethical practice of medicine by professing a set of obligations to which physicians are bound. As is evident from the language of the oath, Hippocrates believed that the practice of medicine was both an art and a privilege and that patients had rights of their own. Dentistry has adopted many of the ideals of the Hippocratic Oath into its current professional codes of ethics as well as the oaths that dental and hygiene students take upon their graduation from dental school. However, to fully understand the history of medical – and subsequently dental – ethics, it is necessary to explore other historical events. The years between 1940 and 1985 mark an important period in the development of medical and dental ethics worldwide.
The atrocities that occurred in the concentration camps during World War II sparked this era of change. The Nazis designed a plethora of “research studies” that involved the torture and murder of concentration camp inmates. One such study placed subjects in frigid water to observe how long it would take them to die of hypothermia. In another experiment, researchers inflicted simulated battle wounds and treated some subjects with experimental techniques while neglecting the “control” group (Tapalaga, 2020). In Nuremberg, Germany, beginning in December of 1946, in a series of military tribunals that became known as the Doctors’ Trials , prosecutors charged 20 Nazi physicians and three medical administrators who murdered and tortured concentration camp prisoners with horrific medical experiments. (Shuster, 2018).
Page 82
EliteLearning.com/Dental
Powered by FlippingBook