Ethical Standards and Professional Conduct
Ethical Standards and Professional Conduct
This domain tests professional conduct: the duties of veracity, confidentiality, competence, and respect for patient autonomy. Items often describe a borderline business or social decision and ask whether it breaches an ethical or regulatory duty.
Core duties. Put the patient's welfare first, treat within your competence or refer, obtain informed consent, keep confidences, and avoid conflicts of interest. The American Dental Association's Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct is the standard reference; the Board may discipline conduct that is unprofessional even when no clinical error occurred.
Confidentiality. Patient information may be disclosed with consent or as law requires. Before-and-after photographs and testimonials require written authorization, and de-identification must be genuine.
Boundaries and honesty. Sexual or exploitative relationships with patients, practicing while impaired, billing for services not rendered, and misrepresenting credentials are all disciplinable. Self-referral and fee-splitting arrangements are improper.
Colleague conduct. Dentists should report conduct that poses a risk to patients, including impairment.
Worked example. A dentist offers a discount to patients who post five-star reviews. Paying for positive reviews is deceptive to the public, so it violates the advertising and veracity rules even though the discount itself is legal. The correct answer is that the incentive must be withdrawn.
Traps. Assuming a signed general consent covers marketing use of photos; confusing legality with ethics; and overlooking that impaired practice is a reporting and treatment issue, not merely a private matter.