Dentists' ethical practical knowledge: a critical issue for dental education.
Dentists, just like teachers, when moving from school to the workplace (dental offices and classrooms respectively), may find it difficult to apply theories learned during formal education to the complexities of the workplace environment. These difficulties constitute a critical issue for dental education in the area of ethics. In teacher education, the knowledge teachers develop for dealing with the situations they encounter in the classroom is called teachers' practical knowledge. In this study, I discuss the concept of teachers' practical knowledge within the context of dentistry, focusing on the ethical dimensions of dentistry practice, arguing for a dentists' ethical practical knowledge. In this sense, I articulate the similarities between teachers' practical knowledge and its equivalent in dental education, suggesting alternatives for dental education that could foster the development of dentists' ethical practical knowledge.
McGill University, Montreal, Canada. diego.ardenghi@mail.mcgill.ca
Diego Machado
DM
Ardenghi
D004990:Ethics, Dental / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D013663:Teaching / Q000941:ethics