Ethical Dilemmas in Orthodontics | Chapter 11 | New Insights into Disease and Pathogen Research Vol. 1
Introduction:
Doctors and dentists possess special training and expertise which patients and
their families do not. This special knowledge and skillset, which has the
potential to benefit as well as harm patients, places on the medical or dental
professional the moral obligation to act in the interests of the patient.
Aim:
To present a clinical case as an example of an ethical dilemma that
orthodontists may face when advocating for the best interests of a child.
Case
Presentation: A five-year-old girl attended my
private orthodontic clinic with a main complaint of lower anterior teeth
overlapping her upper anterior teeth. She was in the primary dentition stage.
There was a conflict between the orthodontist’s interests of the child and the
need to respect parental autonomy. Her mother had doubts and misgivings about
the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment and was reluctant to have her daughter
begin treatment at this age.
Discussion: Factually, there are ethical problems continuously encountered by orthodontists
during orthodontic interventions, even though there are important human values
at stake in the course of treatment. These values may include preventing pain,
maintaining and restoring oral function for normal speech and eating,
preserving and restoring the patient’s physical appearance, and promoting a
sense of control over and responsibility for one’s own health. Last but definitely
not least, orthodontists deal largely with children, and ethical problems arise
especially when there is moral uncertainty.
Conclusion:
The ethical traditions and codes of conduct of medicine and dentistry require
orthodontists to act in the interest of their patients regardless of financial
arrangements, and even, at times, with risk to themselves. In the case of
children, this interest in the patient becomes even more pronounced and may
conflict with the orthodontist’s interests to respect the wishes of the
patient.
Author(s) Details
Dr. Maen Mahfouz
Department of Orthodontics,
Najran Specialized Dental Centre, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia,Faculty of
Dentistry, Arab American University, Jenin, Palestine and Department of
Dentistry, AL-Zafer Hospital, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Yara Mahfouz
Department of Dentistry,
AL-Zafer Hospital, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
View Volume: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nidpr/v1
Comments
Post a Comment