Ethics in dental practice, informed consent
Public Health Dentistry · Dental (BDS)
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Study notes
A patient nods silently before a molar extraction. Is this valid consent? No - informed consent needs disclosure (why extraction, alternatives like RCT, risks including nerve injury), understanding (in their language), and voluntary agreement - a nod without information is compliance, not consent. Students learn consent as conversation: document the discussion, the options offered, and the patient's choice - because the signed form evidences the conversation; it never replaces it.
Related topics
- Dental public health: concepts, history, levels of prevention
- Epidemiology of oral diseases: caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer
- Indices: DMFT/dmft, CPI, Dean's fluorosis index
- National oral health programs and policies
- School dental health programs, pit-and-fissure programs
- Water fluoridation and defluoridation