An Introduction to Dental Ethics

In this section, we will look at the key frameworks that are used in healthcare ethics. We will analyse the key features of them, examples of them in practice, as well as the advantages and disadvantages. These main frameworks are: 


  • Consequentialism

  • Duty Based Ethics/ Deontology

  • Virtue Ethics  


Firstly, let’s take a step back and examine the concept of ethics and medical ethics. Ethics is a branch of philosophy and aims to address questions of right and wrong in a moral context. Singer defines ethics as “the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong.” Essentially it helps us to identify the right action amongst a set of options when we are faced with a moral dilemma.  


Dental ethics is a further subdivision of ethics and is defined by the British Medication Association as “the application of ethical reasoning to medical decision making”. In healthcare, we are faced with ethical dilemmas every day from consenting patients to deciding how best to allocate healthcare resources. Ethical theories can provide us with a framework which we can use to find the best course of action in these scenarios - especially those where there is no clear answer.

For a great summary of ethical theories watch the video below. I know it’s quite long but well worth a watch!

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Dental Ethics (I) - Consequentialist and Utilitarianism