Ethical and Legal Issues in Dentistry - Essay Example

? Ethical and legal issues in dentistry affiliation Ethical and legal issues in dentistry The word ethics is derived froma Greek word ethos, which means character or custom. Ethics is more of a religious, moral concept rather than legal. With elements guiding one’s ethics, the most important is the realization that actions are done or achieved for the betterment of the fine in society. In other words ethics define the actions that are good for individuals and the society. Three virtues are necessary in ethics; courage, control and justice (Pozgar & Santucci, 2010). On the other hand, legal issues are shaped mostly by the government. They include the controlling, regulating and creation of legislative ethics. The legal codes set aside by the government govern professionals at both individual and corporate levels. The relationship between the legal and ethical issues cannot be undermined. In many societies there are similarities in ills governed by both law and ethics, for example, murder, physical harms, reputation defilement and many more. The main difference between the two is that one’s ethics can be governed by law. For instance, if a certain government bans medical operations in underground apartments that will definitely change the perspective of the society on the matter. In the medical profession, in the case of dentists, there are numerous ethical issues as compared to legal issues that govern the practice. Dentistry mainly involves the medical study and treatment of the mouth and teeth. The field operators are known as the dentists. There are general and specific legal and ethical issues that govern the operations by dentists. The general being aspect deals with all medical practitioners; while the specific aspect is directed to dentists. Before imposing the both legal and ethical issues, looking at their importance in the field of dentistry is important. A good legal and ethical dentist promotes the aim of good Medicare. This increases the efficiency and carefulness of medical care. Consequently, it allows a good relationship and trust between the doctor and patient. According to Beemsterboer (2009) ethical standards promote the spirit of collaborative work due to the ethics of mutual respect, appreciation, accountability and fairness. A dentist usually has an assistant who should be able to work closely with the dentist, in order to, attain good medical results. Ethical values promote moral and social values in dentists. This may include the observance of human rights and the safety measures for patients which protects the lives of patients. When referring to importance of legal issues in dentistry, a scenario where there are no legal rules and regulations that govern the operations and existence of dentistry institutions may be put under scrutiny. Beemsterboer (2009) argues that, a great percentage of patients may be lost as a result of negligence, illegal operations, irresponsibility, using of illegal drugs on patients and the list is endless. The set aside legislative regulations by the government shape the medical practitioners. The government offers licenses to qualified dentists only, it dictates the consequences of any medical mishaps, it licenses drugs which are safe for human consumption, it governs the educative qualifications for one to be a dentist and much more. Devoid of these rules and regulations, the medical conditions would be in a deplorable state. Commencing with ethical issues; honesty is virtue. For instance, a patient to undergo a dental surgery, anesthesia medication should be used to ease pain; in some cases some patients may be allergic to them without their knowledge. It is the duty of a dentist to inform them and the risks involved if used. Driven with the greed of money some dentists may fail to do so and therefore putting the patient’s life in danger. Integrity and objectivity also are ethics to have in dentistry. Integrity relates to adherence of agreements or contracts, as well as, being in control of thoughts and actions. Objectivity comes into play with the knowledge of actions; as a dentist you should not take a patient’s body as an experimental tool. When working on a patient, a dentist should be sure of what they are doing does not apply the trial and error principle. Personal and premise hygiene is yet another key factor in the application of ethical and legal practice in dentistry. Dirt contains germs, when they come into contact with a person’s internal organs medical complications may arise. Personal hygiene ranges from disinfecting of hand and arms before handling patient, using of protective gear on the hand and mouth and obviously general hygiene. No person would want an untidy dentist be at their service. Premise hygiene in this context therefore, is not only an ethical issue but also a legal issue. A dirty premise is by law not a legal place to carry out any medical activities. Taking legal issues into consideration take this case as an example; describe what accountability in negligence a dentist will contain if they remove a patient’s tooth and in the course of operation, the mandibular nerve is damaged causing permanent paraesthesia. This query will include setting out the legal trial for negligence and taking into consideration in what state of affairs should the dentist be answerable to the bodily harm on the patient (Rule & Bebeau, 2005). The patient in question above can sue for damages, if negligence is detected on the dentist’s side. If the dentist fails to do a follow up and the incident happens the patient has the right to sue. In addition, if the dentist detected a problem with the patients tooth, knew the risks after extraction and failed to inform the patient, the patient has a right to compensation. In legal issues the law defining privacy and confidentiality of patients is stated. A dentist has no right whatsoever to share patient’s personal details without their consent (Brennan & Oliver, 2006). This may cause ills in her social or even profession reputation. If a scenario like this happens, the patient involved has the right by law to be paid or compensated for damages. The dentists operating license may be revoked depending on the intensity of the matter. Discrimination policies are also governed by law. For instance, a dentist may fail to take on a patient from a different race or a certain skin color (Brennan & Oliver, 2006). It can either be directly or indirectly but in either case it is punishable by law. All people have the right to seek medical attention at any institution regardless of their race or religion. The law governing the consent of a patient is clearly defined. Before making a medical decision, a dentist must consult the patient. In dentistry some operations may take place while a patient is temporarily sleeping, any alters of the original decision by the patient during medication is punishable by law. In case the patient develops any complication during treatment, it is the duty of the dentist to use proper medication or operations to save the patient’s life. It is certain that both ethical and legal issues play a major role in the dentistry profession (Pozgar & Santucc, 2010). They create the competent medical institutions we have. Although individuals working in medical organizations are under the management, it is the duty of all medical practitioners to uphold the required legal and ethical issues. References Beemsterboer, P.L. (2009). Ethics and Law in Dental Hygiene (2nd edition). Philadelphia: WB Saunders. Brennan M & Oliver R (2006). Ethics & Law for the Dental Team. Knudsford UK: PasTest, Pozgar, G. D., & Santucci, N. (2010). Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals. (2nd Edition) Sudbury, Maine: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.  Rule, J.T. & Bebeau, M.J. (2005). Dentists who care: Inspiring stories of Professional Commitment. Chicago: Quintessence. Read More