Ethical Law in Dental Hygiene Case Scenario

Ethical Law in Dental Hygiene Case Scenario
Name
Institutional Affiliate
Ethical Law in Dental Hygiene Case Scenario
Dental caregivers or practitioners, including dentists and dental hygienists, commit to an ethical code of conduct upon which they deliver quality care to their patients. The code of conduct is characteristic of ethical principles, forming an effective framework for exercising ethical practice in their diverse capacities. The ethical principles guiding the dental hygiene practice include autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and veracity CITATION Ame21 \l 1033 (American Dental Association, 2021). These core ethical principles provide an excellent platform for applying the six-step ethical decision-making model for solving ethical dilemmas whenever they arise in dental hygiene practice. Provided herein is an application of the ethical principles and the six-step decision-making model on a dental hygienist’s practise case scenario.
The ethical dilemma ensuing from Debbie’s scenario involves the violation of the ethical principles of non-maleficence and beneficence CITATION Deb21 \l 1033 (Debbie, 2021). According to the principle of non-maleficence, dental hygienists should protect the patients from harm or not harm the patients. Failure to detect and effectively remove calculus from patients exposes them to harm as evidenced by their visits after three months of their previous dental check-ups or appointments. Private practice also violates the principle of beneficence as both the dental hygienists and the dentist fail in their duty to benefit the patient with quality care CITATION Deb21 \l 1033 (Debbie, 2021). Debbie also finds herself in a compromising situation regarding her autonomy of practice as she is torn between telling the truth to the patients about the inadequacies of the facility on removing calculus.
Dental care providers must uphold the ethical code of conduct envisioned by the principles of ethics. These principles provide moral support for their actions or cours...