Core Values & Aspirational Code of Ethics
Standards of Ethical Conduct
The dental profession has long subscribed to a body of
ethical statements developed primarily for the benefit of the patient. As
a member of the profession, a Fellow must recognize responsibility not
only to patients but also to society, to other health professionals and to
self. The following are not laws but standards of conduct which define the
essentials of honorable behavior for a Fellow in the American College of
Dentists.
-
A Fellow shall be dedicated to providing competent
oral health service with compassion and respect for human dignity.
-
Fellow shall be honest with patients and colleagues
and appropriately report those who are deemed to be incompetent or
engaged in fraud or deception.
-
A Fellow shall respect the rights of patients,
colleagues, other health professionals, and society.
-
A Fellow shall continue to study, apply, and seek
truth in the advancement of scientific knowledge and to make relevant
information available to patients, colleagues, and society.
-
A Fellow shall responsibly participate in activities
contributing to an improved community, profession, and society.
-
A Fellow shall act in a fair, just, and equitable
manner.
-
A Fellow shall possess personal and professional
integrity and act as a trustworthy and responsible citizen.
Core Values
The core values represent a guide for ethical behavior for
Fellows of the ACD and are the foundation from which the principles are
derived. The core values collectively reflect the character, charter, and
mission of the ACD. The ACD identifies the following as core values
(stated in alphabetical order):
 Autonomy
Patients have the right to determine what should be done
with their own bodies. Because patients are moral entities they are
capable of autonomous decision-making. Respect for patient autonomy
affirms this dynamic in the doctor-patient relationship and forms the
foundation for informed consent, for protecting patient confidentiality,
and for upholding veracity. The patient's right to self-determination is
not, however, absolute. The dentist must also weigh benefits and harms
and inform the patient of contemporary standards of oral health care.
Beneficence
Beneficence, often cited as a fundamental principle of
ethics, is the obligation to benefit others or to seek their good. While
balancing harms and benefits, the dentist seeks to minimize harms and
maximize benefits for the patient. The dentist refrains from harming the
patient by referring to those with specialized expertise when the
dentist's own skills are insufficient.
Compassion
Compassion requires caring and the ability to identify
with the patient's overall well-being. Relieving pain and suffering is a
common attribute of dental practice. Acts of kindness and a sympathetic
ear for the patient are all qualities of a caring, compassionate
dentist.
Competence
The competent dentist is able to diagnose and treat the
patient's oral health needs and to refer when it is in the patient's
best interest. Maintaining competence requires continual self-assessment
about the outcome of patient care and involves a commitment to lifelong
learning. Competence is the just expectation of the patient.
Integrity
Integrity requires the dentist to behave with honor and
decency. The dentist who practices with a sense of integrity affirms the
core values and recognizes when words, actions or intentions are in
conflict with one's values and conscience. Professional integrity
commits the dentist to upholding the professions' Codes of Ethics and to
safeguarding, influencing and promoting the highest professional
standards.
Justice
Justice is often associated with fairness or giving to
each his or her own due. Issues of fairness are pervasive in dental
practice and range from elemental procedural issues such as who shall
receive treatment first, to complex questions of who shall receive
treatment at all. The just dentist must be aware of these complexities
when balancing the distribution of benefits and burdens in practice.
Professionalism
Self-governance is a hallmark of a profession and
dentistry will thrive as long as it's members are committed to actively
support and promote the profession and it's service to the public. The
commitment to promoting oral health initiatives and protecting the
public requires that the profession work together for the collective
best interest of society.
Tolerance
Dentists are challenged to practice within an
increasingly complex cultural and ethnically diverse community.
Conventional attitudes regarding pain, appropriate function, and
esthetics may be confounded by these differences. Tolerance to diversity
requires dentists to recognize that these differences exist and
challenges dentists to understand how these differences may affect
patient choices and treatment.
Veracity
Veracity, often known as honesty or truth telling, is
the bedrock of a trusting doctor-patient relationship. The dentist
relies on the honesty of the patient to gather the facts necessary to
form a proper diagnosis. The patient relies on the dentist to be
truthful so that truly informed decision-making can occur. Honesty in
dealing with the public, colleagues and self are equally important.
Aspriational Statements of the Core Values
The central aspiration of the American College of Dentists
is that all members practice their profession in an ethical manner. The
American College of Dentists identifies the following as aspirational
statements of the core values: (stated in alphabetical order)
Autonomy
A Fellow of the ACD recognizes the dignity and intrinsic
worth of individuals and their right to make personal choices.
Beneficence
A Fellow of the ACD acts in the best interests of
patients and society even when there is conflict with the dentist's
personal self-interest.
Compassion
A Fellow of the ACD is sensitive to, and empathizes
with, individual and societal needs for comfort and help.
Competence
A Fellow of the ACD strives to achieve the highest level
of knowledge, skill, and ability within his or her capacity.
Integrity
A Fellow of the ACD incorporates the core values as the
basis for ethical practice and the foundation for honorable character.
Justice
A Fellow of the ACD treats all individuals and groups in
a fair and equitable manner and promotes justice in society.
Professionalism
A Fellow of the ACD is committed to involvement in
professional endeavors that enhance knowledge, skill, judgment, and
intellectual development for the benefit of society.
Tolerance
A Fellow of the ACD respects the rights of individuals
to hold disparate views in ethics discourse and dialogue and recognizes
these views may arise from diverse personal, ethnic, or cultural norms.
Veracity
A Fellow of the ACD values truthfulness as the basis for
trust in personal and professional relationships.
Approved by the Officers and Regents of the College,
September 1996
|
