ETHICAL MOMENT

• Published in: The Journal of the American Dental Association (1939) Vol. 144; no. 6; p. 661
• Main Author: Raimann, Thomas E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago American Dental Association 01.06.2013
• Subjects: Dentistry; Dentists; Emergencies; Medical ethics
• ISSN: 0002-8177

A question and answer advisory regarding how dentists should address patients' after-hours emergencies is presented. Among other things, Raimann reiterates that several sections of the American Dental Association (ADA) Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct are applicable to this situation: Section 1, Principle of Patient Autonomy ("self-governance"); Section 2, Principle of Nonmaleficence ("do no harm"); Section 3, Principle of Beneficence ("do good"); and Section 4, Principle of Justice ("fairness"). With respect to the potential conflict between the dentist who performed the extraction and the patient, Section 1.A, Patient Involvement, may be applicable. According to this section of the ADA Code, the dentist should inform the patient of the proposed treatment in a manner that allows the patient to become involved in treatment decisions. If the patient was not aware of the follow-up procedure before treatment, he or she did not have sufficient information to be involved in his or her own care. However, if the patient knew about and agreed to the provision of follow-up in the manner described here, one could argue that this satisfies the requirement of Section 1.A.