title: State Dental Boards and Public Protection: Fulfilling the Contract.
abstract: Dental boards are agents of the state, sworn to protect the public. They combine the skills of professional training with responsibility to ensure that patients receive safe and effective care. They can play a vital role in ensuring that the profession does not invite more regulation by working to maintain the public's trust. Two cases are presented illustrating that one's perspective can cloud the sense of what is right and that it is wrong to pass ethical responsibilities on to others.
authors.forename: Guy S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Shampaine
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D002568:Certification; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003815:Dentists / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004497:Education, Dental; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D033161:Government Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics; D007879:Legislation, Dental; D008005:Licensure, Dental / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D009657:North Carolina; D011634:Public Health; D012449:Safety; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013219:State Government; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States