introduction C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 8 , Nº 9
Dental Ethics for the 21st Century Robert D. Stevenson, DDS
GUEST EDITOR Robert D. Stevenson, DDS, practiced general dentistry in the Inland Empire area. He is an assistant professor at the Western University College of Dental Medicine and served on the CDA Judicial Council. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None reported.
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ne hundred fifty-four years ago, just a year after the close of the Civil War, the leaders of the American Dental Association, itself just 7 years old, met to debate the adoption of a professional code of ethics. Many of the leaders opposed the code because they felt the good dentists didn’t need it and the bad ones wouldn’t pay attention. After heated debate, a simple code of ethics was adopted. Since 1866, the codes have been updated repeatedly to address relevant concerns of the dental profession. Despite these changes in applications, the underlying principles remain unchanged. As the codes of ethics for the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and other significant dental organizations have evolved, the expectations that were outlined have created a sense of professional unity. However, the discussion continues to this day as to whether the dentists who most need the codes will pay attention and whether those who pay attention really need the codes. This debate may never reach a conclusion. Potter Stewart, a former associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, said, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”1 This is precisely why it is important
to review ethics on a regular basis: It is not always a simple matter to differentiate between the two. In simple terms, ethics may be defined as the moral values that govern an individual’s behavior. As one considers this definition, it becomes apparent that in a world full of individuals, there may be endless interpretations and applications of the basic ethical principles. As we have seen in many events in recent years, this can lead to chaotic behavior and justification of wrongful actions. A lack of ethical awareness can lead to disastrous choices. Dentists tend to pay less attention to ethics than to clinical dentistry and business practices. That could stem from the perception that ethics have little bearing on the modern dental practice when compared to clinical and business topics. We are now well into the 21st century. Do ethics appear to be an antiquated view of life as spelled out by ancient philosophers? Or are they still relevant in our lives? Our contention is that ethics are alive and well and relevant. The important news is that the fundamental principles of ethics have not changed. They continue to provide a foundation for our choices. But the situations in which we apply these principles continue to change. Our objective in this issue was to provide some real-world applications of ethical SEP TEMBER 2 0 2 0 427
