On ethics in the profession of dentistry and dental education*

Abstract

P rofessional education in dentistry exists to educate good dentists, dentists equipped and committed to helping society gain the benefits of oral health. In achieving this intention, dental educators acknowledge that student dentists must acquire the complex knowledge base and the sophisticated perceptual-motor skills of dentistry. The graduation of knowledgeable and skilled clinicians in dentistry is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for ensuring quality oral health care. The further requirement is the commitment of graduates to applying their abilities with integrity, that is, providing quality care in their patients’ interest. Ultimately, good dentistry depends on individuals committed to treating society and their patients fairly, that is, ethically. Thus the justification for teaching professional ethics in dentistry is to facilitate the personal and professional development of aspiring dentists into socially and professionally responsible human beings. This article will discuss ethics in the broad context of life, and seek to apply the concepts of ethics to the profession of dentistry and to teaching ethics in dental education. In doing so, it will define ethics and differentiate it from two related but different concepts, religion and law. Ethics will be explained in both the sense of life’s aspirations and life’s obligations, and an argument advanced for why one should be ethical. In seeking to understand ethics in the profession of dentistry, the concept of profession will be defined, and the historical notion of what it means to be a profession will be considered. Contrasts will be drawn between dentistry as profession and dentistry as a business. A professional ethics for dentistry will then be advanced. The essay will conclude with suggestions as to what goals are reasonable for teaching professional ethics in dentistry.