Dental Ethics: A Brief Review
Course Overview
Every profession that deals with human rights and liberties eventually develops a professional code of ethics to guide the responsible behavior of its members. Regulatory boards that oversee the practice of healthcare professionals require their members to be cognizant of the specific rules of conduct relating to their profession. In health care, the deductive process by which ethical principles are applied to situations common to the profession is called bioethics. Bioethics is a relatively new field emerging in the 1960s, however, the concept of bioethics, as a branch of applied ethical theory is as old as the Hippocratic oath. Legislatures often enact laws when there are repeated failures by individuals to adhere to ethical standards. With the many cases of dental insurance fraud, as well as other malpractice cases, that have received national attention, it is imperative that dental professionals understand the role that ethics play in the legitimacy of the profession.
Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the learner should be able to:
- Describe the roles and responsibilities of dental professionals.
- Review the definitions of ethics and law.
- Compare and contrast ethical theoretical systems.
- Define ethical terms and ethical decision making, as related to the dental professional.
- Define dental malpractice, specifically as it relates to Medicare/Medicaid fraud.
About the Author/Presenter
William E. Frey, DDS, MS, FICD, graduated from the University of California School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California, in 1966. In 1975, he completed residency training in Periodontics and received a Master's degree from George Washington University.
Dr. Frey retired from the United States Army Dental Corps in 1989 after 22 years of service. Throughout the course of his professional career, he has continuously practiced dentistry, the first 7 years as a general dentist and the past more than 40 as a periodontist. His military experience included the command of a networked Dental Activity consisting of five dental clinics. In his last assignment, he was in charge of a 38-chair facility. Colonel Frey was selected by the Army to serve on two separate occasions as the Chair of the Periodontal Department in Army General Dentistry Residency Training Programs. Dr. Frey is the founder and president of Perio Plus, a practice management firm specializing in creating individually-designed hygiene and periodontal care programs for general dentists. He is also the creator of the Inspector Gum patient education series.
Michele Nichols, RN, BSN, MA, received her Associates Degree in Nursing in 1977, her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing in 1981 and obtained her Master of Arts Degree in Ethics and Policy Studies in 1990 through the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was Chief Nurse Executive at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and retired as the System Director for the Valley Health System University, a five hospital system in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is currently a volunteer nurse for Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada.
Audience/Accreditations and Approvals
TRC Healthcare/ NetCE
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by TRC Healthcare/ NetCE. TRC Healthcare/NetCE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
This course is designed for the following healthcare professions (select your profession for details):
Dental AGD Code: 555
If you require special accommodations, please contact Colibri Healthcare Support by clicking here: Contact Us
