Paternalism, risk and patient choice.
When patients request inappropriate dental treatment, the dentist must decide how to balance a concern with patients' well-being with respect for their choices. The usual paternalist inclinations found in clinical practice and in the literature are rejected. Only in certain situations is the dentist morally justified in setting aside patients' treatment requests. This position is supported by the analysis of a clinical case. There are also implications as to how dentists should respond to colleagues who provide treatments some regard as questionable.
Baergen
R
R
Department of Philosophy, Idaho State University, Pocatello 83209-8056, USA.
Baergen
C
C
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D026686:Beneficence; D032882:Comprehension; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D030881:Disclosure; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D026706:Paternalism; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011215:Practice Management, Dental; D016079:Refusal to Treat; D012945:Social Values; D019564:Unnecessary Procedures