The Conflict Between Oral Health and Patient Autonomy in Dentistry
Author Information
Author(s): Kovács Szilárd Dávid, Irawan Anggi Septia, Zörgő Szilvia, Kovács József
Primary Institution: Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Hypothesis
In what cases is the conflict between oral health and patient autonomy present in literature, what judgements are made in these cases, and which principles guide these judgements?
Conclusion
Ethical conflicts concerning patient autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence have a marked presence in oral care, with a general support for beneficence despite the rise of cosmetic procedures.
Supporting Evidence
- Most themes identified in the literature advocate for the practitioner to choose the alternative that benefits the patient from a medical perspective.
- Instances where respect for patient autonomy was encouraged concerned oral preventive care or when the requested intervention was expected to have an insignificant impact on oral health.
- The study highlights a discrepancy between theory and practice due to the rise of cosmetic procedures in dentistry.
Takeaway
This study looks at how dentists balance patient requests with what is best for their health, especially when it comes to cosmetic procedures like tooth extraction.
Methodology
The study involved screening journal articles from three databases and thematic analysis of the identified literature.
Potential Biases
The focus on dental journals may lead to a bias towards practical aspects rather than capturing nuanced patient experiences.
Limitations
The study's sample size is small due to limited research on the ethical dilemma, and most articles were published in dental journals, which may bias the findings.
Participant Demographics
The included studies involved perspectives from dentists and patients across various countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, and India.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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