Doing the right thing: resolving ethical issues in geriatric dental care.
This article reviews key ethical concerns facing dental professionals caring for older adults and offers guidelines for resolving them. Approaches to securing informed consent for treatment and assessing decision making capacity are discussed. Next, the question of deciding among several treatment options when patient preferences are unknown is considered. Finally, guidelines are offered on restraint use for older adults with behavioral problems.
Shuman
S K
SK
Department of Preventive Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, USA.
D000368:Aged; D003657:Decision Making; D016321:Dental Care for Aged; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D016743:Mental Competency; D012149:Restraint, Physical