5 Pillars of the
ADA PRINCIPLES OF ETHICS An Overview DR. JUDE FABIANO, DDS
For a dental professional, the American Dental Association (ADA) Code is a string of obligations that is present in every aspect of the profession. All dental professionals are held to a high ethical standard of conduct because of their commitment to health and society. The ADA’s Principles of Ethics offer justification for the Code of Professional Conduct. There are 5 firm guideposts to which every dental professional adheres. They compete with each other for priority, and sometimes need to be balanced against each other, but they are widely accepted as “law.” Here is an overview of these 5 crucial pillars.
PATIENT AUTONOMY One part of patient autonomy refers to the dental professional’s duty to adhere to a patient’s wishes, as long as they are resonable and will not do the patient harm. For example, the dentist should inform the patient of their recommended treatment and all options available, allowing the patient to be involved in decisions regarding his/her oral health. The second part of this pillar is the dental professional’s duty to protect the patient’s confidentiality, especially in relation to patient records.
NONMALEFICENCE Nonmaleficence is also known as “do no harm.” It is a professional’s responsibility to protect patients from harm. This is why a dentist must keep current with their professional knowledge and skills. Nonmaleficence is also what guides a dentist to sometimes refer patients to a specialist, knowing his/her own limitations.
BENEFICENCE On the same plane as nonmaleficence is beneficence, or “do good.� This means a professional has the duty to act in a way that benefits others, always putting a patient’s welfare first. The most important aspect of beneficence is delivering dental care in a competent and timely manner, taking time to consider the needs, desires and values of each individual patient. Some dentists will use their skills to further elevate the esteem of the profession, which also falls under this category.
JUSTICE A professional in the dental industry has the obligation to treat people fairly. This means no patient is discriminated against because of race, religion, gender identity, national origin, etc. A dentist has made a promise to treat any patient in need, within the bounds of their ability.
VERACITY A dentist has the responsibility of being honest and truthful in any professional setting. This is especially important for trust of the dentist/patient relationship. For example, increasing fees for certain patients or recommending unnecessary services are two practices that violate the veracity principle.
Throughout a dental professional’s workday, they constantly have these ethical principles in mind, allowing them to give the best possible treatment to their patients.
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