Ethics in dentistry

Abstract

Objective: Dentists should build their reputation on their professional ability and integrity and should abide by the regulations put forth by the Dental Council of India (DCI). The aim of the study is to find out whether the code of ethics is followed in clinical practice by the dental practitioners in Chennai. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 1128 dental clinics in Chennai and data with respect to the name boards and advertisement were collected by means of a personalized survey. Results: The size of the sign board exceeded in 69% of the dental clinics. The sign board contained attractive symbols, pictures, and wordings in 68% of the dental clinics visited. 9% of the dental practitioners used abbreviations other than academic qualifications recognized by DCI in their clinic board. There were signboards in places other than the clinic in 22% of the clinics surveyed. 26% of the clinics used visual or printed media for advertisements. Conclusion: This study concludes that ethics are not strictly followed by the dental practitioners in their clinical practice. A proper ethical committee should be formed by the state dental councils to monitor the practitioners and dental clinics. Also, regulatory bodies like state dental councils and DCI should think about the revision/modification of certain codes of ethics, particularly with respect to the name boards, as these were framed almost three decades ago.