What is it with Dentists Today - Research Paper Example

What is it with Dentists Today? What is it with Dentists Today? Introduction Dentists’ also known as dental surgeons aremedical specialists who deal with the treatment of the oral cavity and the teeth in general. They ensure that the patient’s dental hygiene is observed and in case of an ailment they know the kind of treatment that they should offer. Dentists are well trained in this field and they know the exact pathogenesis of various dental diseases and disorders which keeps them at a better position of establishing the cause of the dental problems. The main dental problems that patients encounter include gingivitis and dental caries. The knowledge of the oral cavity conditions can be used to establish the presence of diseases such as AIDS and diabetes (Ramiel & Gallagher 11). In the present days, dentists have however come under increased criticism due the habit where some of them give bad medication to their patients to ensure that they come back. By doing this they create more room to earn more as the patients have to pay for every visit to the dentists. The dentists have destroyed the good reputation of medical practitioners as in the current days they are more money oriented rather than in the time when they were working to ensure that the health of the patient was restored in the least time possible (Tennessee Board of Dentistry, Chapter 0460-3). The increase in private clinics, health centres and hospitals has been one of the causes of the reduced quality of service from dentists. Due to the complains, it would important to address the issue by putting in place strict measures and penalties to those doctors who are found compromising the quality of the services and setting low standards for their services. This will play an important part in improving the standards of medical services and getting rid of rogue dentists who are not fit to work or participate in the medical field. Responsibilities of Dentists Dentists undergo special training so that they can be able to handle the wide range of dental problems that affect majority of the population. In fact about eight of every ten people have had a dental complication in their lives that needed them to visit a dentist. This keeps them (dentists) at a better position in terms of demand and the wide range of problems that they can handle. Dentists first take the medical units that are required to get an honors and become a general practitioner (Leonardi & Walsh, p. 11-16). On top of these qualifications the dentists undergo specialized training to arm them with the important skills so that they can perform complex procedures such as oral and maxillofacial surgery. The dentists must complete all the required courses and get certified by the respective medical body that evaluates whether they are fit to be endowed with the responsibility of handling the people’s health. In case of any misconduct these bodies which include dentist boards and medical bodies have the mandate to retrieve the certification they had given him/her and declare him/her unfit to serve as a dentist. Due to the sensitivity of the work that dentists handle they are supposed to be extra cautious in handling their patients as any form of negligence can be a reason for the termination of their accredit ion and render them unfit to be working in any health care facility. The recent cases of dentists giving poor services to their patients are therefore so discouraging and taking the oaths that the medical practitioners take before embarking on the task of offering medical care, this should be punished thoroughly .In some of the cases, the dentists have been accused of offering substandard services because of their fear of lacking any clients and so to safe guard their income, they end up using the dubious and ill methods of offering substandard services. However, the cases are few and when found the dentists involved are punished to ensure that the same does not happen again and they serve as an example to others. Competition in the Medical Field While probing the reasons that could lead to the absurd behavior of the dentists who offer poor services to ensure that the patients come back later, one of the main reasons that stood out was the increased competition in the medical field. In the past the registered number of dentists was small compared to the number of dentists today. The number of private health care centers has also increased and this has marked a scrabble for the patients who are in need of the services. Just as in any other working environment, the dentists find it important to secure their jobs so that the can have a guaranteed source of income in the days to come. To do this they have to ensure that the patients who visit them will come back again and pay again. Many of the dentists are aware that this is ethically wrong but they have to do it to ensure that they get an income in the days to come. This is done against the ethical codes that govern the medical profession and it is highly discouraged. This can lead to loss of lives and increased suffering of the patients who are undergoing the treatment. The doctor’s sole responsibility should be to improve the health status of the patients and so if they take part in deteriorating the conditions, then they beat the reason why they should be entrusted with the people’s lives. The high costs of seeking dental attention has been a reason why some people do not seek it. This reduces the number of those needing to be attended to in a reasonable way. The ones that are left are desperate to get medication and so when they are given medication and instructed to come back they must come back. The patients trust the doctors in ensuring that their health is safe guarded. This is why very few can doubt the way the services are offered and so they end up receiving substandard services. On top of this, the patients rarely know their rights and so they cannot raise an alarm when they feel they have received poor services. Medical Ethics Dentists are governed by a list of rules and ethics that determine how they work and the quality of services that they should give to the patients (Newsome & Barrow, 1-4). These rules are put in place to ensure that they is equity in the services offered and a monopolistic environment is discouraged in the medical profession. The doctors need to be governed by their respective bodies which set the rules that they should follow and also regulate the threshold of expectations that should be got from a medical practitioners. Due to the negligence of some dentists it becomes important to retract some certificates and work permits given if it is proven without any reasonable doubt that they have been doing some medical malpractices such as offering unimportant medicines to patients to make them come back and ensure that the diseases that are troubling them persists longer thereby guaranteeing them of a steady and regular income. Such doctors are dealt with ruthlessly and in most cases they are disbanded from practicing their services in any of the hospitals around the world. The tough rules ensure that the doctors and the dentists follow the set ethics that govern the profession. Role of Government in Medical Services The government is the one that issues license to medical institutions be them public or private. This means that it has the mandate to ensure that the services offered have reached the required standards. Some dentists feel that the wages they get while working in public medical institutions is not enough and so they start their private hospitals. Some of these private hospitals practice the medical malpractices noted above not necessarily because the doctors want to but because the doctors cannot buy the required medicine, they end up giving the patients substandard services and the medicine that cannot be able to treat majority of the diseases that are on the rise. This calls for the government to establish new ways that can ensure that the services are offered as expected and get the dentists who are not delivering as expected. Though there are some ethical and logic concerns that need to be addressed before coming to that conclusion that should serve to punish the recurrent defaulters. Conclusion The performance of dentists should be monitored well especially in this age when medical ethics have been corroded by the need to get rich faster regardless of the nature of the services that one offers (Virginia Board of Dentistry Laws and Regulations). One of the reasons why there are rogue practitioners is the joining of the medical profession to get the money and not offer the services that are required to ensure that the lives of the people are safe guarded. Another reason is the hiring of undertrained staff to do the work supposed to be done by qualified dentists. These half-baked dentists are not fit to serve in any medical institution as it would be putting the lives of people at stake. Once such people are allowed to work, the consequents can be similar to the ones highlighted. Many people have ended up losing their lives since the dentist who was supposed to handle their case was not qualified well. Lastly the medical bodies should become more aggressive and effective when it comes to handling of such cases so that the ones who are caught doing that can be disbanded from offering their services. Patients have a right to get quality medical health care (Virginia Board of Dentistry Laws and Regulations). If the dentists who are given the responsibility are failing in their job then it means that the bodies that employ them or the ones that govern their performance are not performing. This can therefore call for government intervention to ensure that the patients get the best medication. Works Cited Virginia Board of Dentistry Laws and Regulations, Laws as of July 2013. Regulations Governing Dental Practice. http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/dentistry/dentistry_laws_regs.htm Tennessee Board of Dentistry, Chapter 0460-3, Rules Governing the Practice of Dental Hygienists. http://www.state.tn.us/sos/rules/0460/0460-03.pdf Newsome, Philip, & Barrow, Chris. Profitable Dental Practice: 8 Strategies for Building a practice that everyone loves to Visit, New York: Radcliffe Publishing Limited, 2014, 1-4. Print. Ramiel & Gallagher. Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition-Limit and Avoid Dental Surgery and Fluoride, 2nd Edition, n.p., 2010, p. 31. Leonardi, Michele & Walsh Margaret, Dental Hygiene: Theory and Practice, 4th edition, Washington: Saunders Publishers, 2014. P. 11-16. Print. Read More