Dental Ethics and Jurisprudence

The principle of non-maleficence, or 'do no harm', is the primary ethical principle that guides dentists in their practice. It requires dentists to take all reasonable steps to avoid causing harm to their patients.

Professionalism is not a core value of the American Dental Association's Code of Ethics. The core values are patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

Informed consent is the legal term for a dentist's duty to provide a patient with all relevant information about a proposed treatment, including the risks and benefits. It is essential for ensuring that patients are able to make informed decisions about their care.

Assault is not a common type of dental malpractice. Negligence, battery, and fraud are all more common types of dental malpractice.

Negligence is the legal term for a dentist's failure to meet the standard of care, resulting in harm to a patient. It is the most common type of dental malpractice.

Impossibility is not a common defense to a dental malpractice lawsuit. Contributory negligence, assumption of risk, and statute of limitations are all more common defenses.

Battery is the legal term for a dentist's intentional touching of a patient without their consent. It is a type of assault and battery.

Misrepresentation of credentials is not a common type of dental fraud. Billing for services not rendered, upcoding, and double-billing are all more common types of dental fraud.

Fraud is the legal term for a dentist's false or misleading statement about a product or service. It is a type of civil wrong.

Censure is not a common type of dental disciplinary action. License revocation, license suspension, and probation are all more common types of dental disciplinary action.

Patient-dentist privilege is the legal term for a dentist's duty to maintain patient confidentiality. It is a type of evidentiary privilege that protects the privacy of patient-dentist communications.

Word-of-mouth advertising is not a common type of dental advertising. Print advertising, broadcast advertising, and online advertising are all more common types of dental advertising.

Duty to treat is the legal term for a dentist's duty to provide continuing care to a patient. It is a type of legal obligation that arises from the dentist-patient relationship.

Patient satisfaction survey is not a common type of dental peer review. Case review, chart review, and radiograph review are all more common types of dental peer review.

Duty to treat is the legal term for a dentist's duty to provide emergency care to a patient. It is a type of legal obligation that arises from the dentist-patient relationship.