Dental Ethical Issues

The way the on-site dental assistants are asking the dental assistant student to treat the patient presents an ethical dilemma that needs to be dealt with. This circumstance should be seen as a prima facie duty, which means, there is an obvious way to respond to the present situation. The obvious problems to confront are the violation of the patient’s rights as well as transgressing a portion of infection control, standard precautions. Following standard precautions means treating every patient as if they already have an infectious disease. When treating a patient, there should be no extra precautionary measures outside of the standard precautions. This patient trusts us to provide them with optimal care. They trust us to treat them with equality. These on-site assistants are treating this patient like a rabid animal. It is as if the on-site dental assistants fear the patient because of his condition. If standards precautions are being followed, the dental assistant should not need to wear a different gown, wear extra face protection, or follow a different sterilization method. The dental assistant also shouldn’t have to run the instruments through the autoclave twice. If I were the patient, and I realized I was being treated differently than the other patients, I would be

One of the main ethical issues that faces health care is the security of patient information. This information is protected by laws and regulations such as HIPPA, but there are still concerns Scott, et al, 2005). Among those concerns is the new concept of electronic patient records and information. These records are designed to help hospitals and doctors get patient information more quickly, so that patients can receive treatment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, anything kept and transmitted on a computer has the potential to be hacked, so that is a serious concern for patients. Not all patients want their medical records to be available electronically, but they may not have too many options (Romano & Stafford, 2010). Opting out may not be an option for them, and if they do have that option it could reduce the speed and quality of treatment that these patients would receive. Do they want to risk that, just so they can feel as though their medical information is better protected?

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the Affordable care Act from President Obama gives consumers more options and benefits when seeking coverage from insurance company. It offers lowering cost as well as gets more access to high quality of care. This law creates Patient’s Bill of Rights that is very effective to protect consumers from any abuses or fraud from insurance company. Some preventive services are available to many Americans especially Medicare recipients at no cost. Not just that, they also receive a special offer of 50 percent discount for any well-known drugs in the market place under Medicare named “donut hole.” The Affordable Care Act helps other organizations and programs to convince healthcare providers

Based upon our review, you filed a grievance because you stated that Smile Care Dental is billing you for a cleaning and exam you had for $60.00 and you stated you should not owe. You also stated that Smile Care Dental is very unprofessional.

Regardless of your political stance, dental care is a service that all people should have access to, privately, or publicly. In the United States alone, millions of Native Americans on reservations are stifled from receiving the much needed dental care they require, the consequences are harmful to their health and prosperity.

Oral health care is an integral part of the US healthcare system. In 2012, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced “The Comprehensive Dental Reform Act”, which aimed on expanding dental coverage, accessible oral health care centers, increase in dental workforce, enhanced dental education and encourage dental research. (Congress.gov). The ACA, aim to curb the national health spending, by facilitating the affordability to quality care through private and public health insurance. The purpose of this bill is to cut the healthcare costs and to reverse the “silent epidemic” of dental health status (surgeon gen). This dental bill with an integrated approach towards the preventive and comprehensive oral healthcare is estimated to provide coverage to almost 17.7 million adults. (ADA

In the United States, during the formation of health care, the profession fostered a splint in dental and medical care. Two separate industries have grown with different regulatory systems, schooling, insurances and overall practices. Yet it is difficult to comprehend how this separation is allowed to continue and how the patient is best served by two detached providers. Though, I was pleased to learn that the expansion of Medicaid, under Affordable Care Act meant that more underserved people would have access to dental insurance, I was disappointed that the health reform overall did not include dental coverage to all. And despite this gain in dental care, the Medicaid dental coverage is optional and the expansion was left at the discretion

This post identifies two ethical dilemmas I faced as a wound care department manager, apply ethical theories to the situation and analyze how ethical standards would apply to making decisions. A couple years ago I worked as a department manager for a small team of wound care nurses and we identified patients for the rounding surgeons to provide bedside procedures such as sharp wound debridement and replacing g-tubes. The patients identified met criteria and benefited from the treatment, however, wound debridement and replacing g-tubes are within my scope of practice as a Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN). I did not practice to the full scope of my practice in order to leave the procedures for the surgeons to generate revenue for the company.

Abortion is one of the most polarising moral issues in today’s society. It presents an ethical dilemma for many people and especially all healthcare professionals involved. Firstly, this essay will begin by briefly outlining the highly controversial issue of abortion, discuss why this topic draws fierce debate, for and against, and explain the current legal standing in the UK today. It will then move on to explain how different ethical models can be used in relation to ethical dilemmas, in particular Thiroux’s Five Principles of Ethic’s. Using this model to discuss how each principle individually applies to this contested issue it will then conclude by summarising and highlighting the main conflicts

Protecting the public trust is of paramount consideration and a standard of care in the field of dentistry, and of particular interest to policymakers, practitioners, and patients (Jacquot). When some caregivers violate this trust, a proactive holistic approach must be sourced in order to restore patient confidence by authorities and members of the field. As most ethics violations go undetected or unreported (attribution), employing protocols to promote oversight and transparency serve as a deterrent and enable patients to better understand expert recommendations, risks, costs, and options available for treatment. This reassurance of the public trust can help overcome distrust and insecurity deriving from ethics violations by dental practitioners.

The dental hygiene profession’s code of ethics states that dental hygienist are professionals devoted to the prevention of disease and the promotion and improvement of the public’s health. The core values that the code of ethics states are: Individual autonomy and Respect for human beings. Each dental hygienist should know his or her values for professional ethics. Which each dental hygienist should well reflect on the following: Confidentiality- ensure that a patient’s privacy is protected and stay up-to-date of any changes in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations, Societal trust- based on the values dental hygienist upheld the clients also the public trust their professional actions and behavior, Nonmaleficence- provide services in a way to protect clients and minimize harm to them, Beneficence- keep clients and the public engaged in promotions and disease prevention activities, Justice and fairness- everyone

Dentists, also face a number of ethical issues related to the treatment of their patients. Some issues are clearly medical, involving the treatment of the patient. Other issues are related to the management of a dentist’s practice, such as employment, corporate sponsorship and advertising.

Everyday, healthcare professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas in their workplace. These ethical dilemmas need to be addressed in order to provide the best care for the patient. Healthcare professionals have to weigh their own personal beliefs, professional beliefs, ethical understandings, and several other factors to decide what the best care for their patient might be. This is illustrated in Mrs. Smith’s case. Mrs. Smith is an 85 year old who has suffered from a large stroke that extends to both of her brains hemispheres which has left her unconscious. She only has some brain stem reflexes and requires a ventilator for support. She is unable to communicate how she wishes to proceed with her healthcare. Mrs. Smith’s children, Sara and Frank have different views regarding their mother’s plan of care. The decision that needs to be made is whether to prolong Mrs. Smith’s life, as Sara would like to do, or stop all treatments and care, as Frank feels his mother would want. In the healthcare field, there are situations similar to this case that happen daily where moral and ethical judgment is necessary to guide the decision that would be best for the patient. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss, compare and contrast the personal and professional values, ethical principles, and legal issues regarding Mrs. Smith’s quality of life and further plan of care.

From a very early age, I had a natural affinity for teeth. I wanted to know how they form, and differ in other individuals. As a toddler, I would grab hold of the staff’s teeth at my local daycare and attempt my own version of a dental inspection. It came quite apparent to my mother that either I had a serious fetish or I was finding a passion for a future profession. Even though my mother loved my curious personality, she wanted me to understand that there are boundaries that I must adhere too. Over time, I stopped playing with stranger’s mouths and started using my hands for more important duties. On Saturdays, after soccer practice, my father would drive us to food banks to volunteer our time. During my time as a volunteer, I did such activities such as feeding the homeless, packing boxes of food for families in need, and assisting the building of homes with habitat humanity. Thankfully, I could continue my development as a community leader throughout college and adulthood.

The ethical theories that I would site for this case would start with deontological ethics which focuses on one's duties to others and others' rights. The pediatrician had the authority in this case but failed his duties because he didn't take the measures to consult with the RN, the intern, or the second-year resident as to the evaluation they completed that would have possibly led to him admitting the boy for his injury. If in fact the pediatrician was acting on non-consequential ethics it could pose a conflict with the Hippocratic oath because with non-consequential ethical thinking the belief of right or wrong is viewed as dependant on the intention of the actions and not the outcome of the actions. I don't feel that there were any ethical