___________________________________________ DCA05DE Dental Ethics and the Digital Age, 3rd Edition
5. Esthetic Values: While important, esthetics are secondary to health and autonomy. 6. Resource Efficiency: Costs and resource allocation must be considered, but they rank lower than patient health and autonomy. If at risk, a patient’s life and general health must always be prioritized.
HEALTHCARE CONSIDERATION Patients and society trust dental professionals to provide the highest standard of care based on their knowledge and skills, continued competency, and professional and ethical conduct. Upholding this trust is essential to preserving the
integrity and credibility of the dental profession. PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND OBLIGATIONS
Self-Assessment Question 2
All codes of ethics recognize three professional relationships at the core of most ethical dilemmas (ACD 2024; ADA, 2023). These are: • the professional and client, • the professional and professional, • the professional and society. Underlying all these relationships is a foundation of trust, the same trust that is at the core of professionalism. An ethical dilemma will likely result when an entity in a relationship violates trust. Besides trust violations, there are many other causes of ethical dilemmas. Furthermore, as the world changes, so do the ethical challenges involved. Professional obligations are inherent in dentistry as defined in the principles outlined above and in the definition of professionalism discussed earlier in the course. Professional obligations imply that there is a duty involved, meaning that: • to act or refrain from acting in a particular manner is something one ought to do in a given situation with the patient’s welfare and best interests as the ultimate guiding force, • ethically defensible reasons exist to support the claim that one ought to act or refrain from acting in a particular manner and to meet the standards of community care and competence in providing dental services, • these reasons make acting or refraining from acting relatively important compared with other possible actions. (Prasad et al., 2019). To help prioritize where to focus one’s attention when attempt- ing to honor professional obligations amid an ethical dilemma, there are six priorities, or central values, of dental practice. In order of importance, they are (Ozar et al., 2018): 1. Patient’s Life and General Health: Protecting a patient’s life and overall health is the top priority. 2. Patient’s Oral Health: Ensuring pain-free, optimal oral function is essential. 3. Patient Autonomy: Respecting patients’ rights to make informed decisions about their care is crucial. 4. Dentist’s Preferred Practices: Dentists may choose techniques aligned with their preferences as long as they meet care standards.
2. The foundation of the provider-patient relationship is one based upon:
A) Beneficence B) Autonomy C) Trust D) Stewardship
BALANCING LAW AND ETHICS Healthcare ethics and the law can work synergistically or in opposition at various times. Although the study of healthcare law is a course in and of itself, it is important to have some basic knowledge of how law and ethics intersect when confronting ethical dilemmas. Dental clinicians must obey local, state, and federal regulations that govern the practice of dentistry and the specific regulations established by their state board of dentistry. They must also obey laws that govern issues that concern their employees. When laws and professional ethics conflict, the patient’s best interest, safety, and well-being must be placed first (Ozar et al., 2018). Remembering some of the basic differences between ethics and the law is important. Laws can change over time, vary from state to state, and can be significantly influenced by politics and economic interests. Ethical standards, however, transcend all these considerations. Although legal rules have shaped bioethical principles and their application, bioethical principles have strongly influenced the development of law. Laws are a composite of rules and regulations, while ethics represent a formal or informal rule of behavior. Legal rights have a foundation in law, while ethical rights have a foundation in principles and ethical values (Brock and Mastroianni, 2024). Consider the Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report as examples. Legal duties are also often ethical duties, but ethical duties may not always be legal obligations. Although individu- als may have an ethical obligation to obey the law, the law is often the lower standard, even though ethics and the law may draw on the same sources of authority.
Self-Assessment Question
3. Which statement is true regarding ethics and the law:
E) Ethics is the higher standard. F) Law is the higher standard. G) Ethical principles are also legal mandates. H) Laws are always ethical.
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