title: Evaluation of an ethical method aimed at improving hygiene rules compliance in dental practice.
abstract: The objective of this study is to determine the efficiency of an ethical method, based on a thought experiment in ethics, on hygiene rules compliance for dental health care team members.
  
  
  
  This is a prospective study that assesses hygiene compliance in dental practice before and after a thought experiment in ethics, using 2 questionnaires. Participants included 130 clinician students in dentistry at Strasbourg University Hospital, France.
  
  
  
  The results emphasize a better implementation of hygiene rules after the thought experiment in ethics, when comparing the relative frequencies of completed hygiene items. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test shows significant differences between the first questionnaire and the second one after the thought experiment in ethics (P < .001).
  
  
  
  This ethical method provides efficiency on hygiene rules compliance, which makes it beneficial to implement. However, far from being an absolute unit method, this thought experiment in ethics appears to be an original, supplemental, and complementary method.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Osteoarticular and Dental, Regenerative Nanomedicine, UMR 1109, Faculté de Médecine and FMTS, Strasbourg, France. Electronic address: damien.offner@hotmail.fr.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Offner
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strub
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rebert
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Musset
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000067289:Behavior Observation Techniques / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods*; D003770:Dental Offices; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000941:ethics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hygiene rules compliance; dentistry; ethics; medical team; prospective observational study