title: [The ethics of dental records].
abstract: This article highlights five aspects of necessary record-keeping in practices: ethicolegal requirements, confidentiality and disclosure, risk management and consent, accounts and practice management, and forensic functions. Patient records therefore have ethical, moral, legal and management implications. Unfortunately, they are often underestimated or ignored by practitioners. In the light of increasing litigation and disciplinary hearings, it is necessary to remind practitioners that every clinical action also contains an administrative component which has to fulfill many requirements.
authors.affiliation: Departement Diagnostiek en Röntgenologie, Universiteit van Pretoria Posbus 1266, Pretoria 0001.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Prinsloo
mesh_terms: D000066:Accounting / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003792:Dental Records / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D030881:Disclosure / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D005553:Forensic Dentistry / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011215:Practice Management, Dental / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012308:Risk Management / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013019:South Africa