title: Do Patients and Dentists See Ethics the Same Way?
abstract: The most common approach to ethics in dentistry and bioethics generally is through principles. To be effective, principles must be interpreted in particular situations, and the skill of interpretation requires many years of practice with feedback. The opinions of 91 dentists and 54 patients regarding multiple potential actions and justifications for these actions were gathered for eight dental ethics cases. The summary responses of dentists and patients have been integrated as feedback in an online ethics education exercise that individual dentists can use (see www.dental ethics.org/idea). The dataset of responses was also analyzed for general findings. It emerged that patients and dentists agree to a substantial extent on the average approaches, but they differ systematically on certain of the details. Some ethical issues stimulated a narrow range of responses while others, especially those of a nonclinical nature were regarded as ambiguous and are thus good candidates for future ethics training. A factor analysis revealed a five-dimension structure underlying dental ethics. Patients are most apt to view dentistry using a lens of oral health outcomes while practitioners prefer to stress the process and the technical dimensions of practice. The largest area of difference was patients' much greater interest in dentists assuming an active role as patient oral health advocates with their colleagues.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Chambers
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003729:Dental Care / Q000941:ethics*; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D003815:Dentists / Q000523:psychology*; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D006801:Humans; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*