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Authors
Robert LCaplin
BDS, MSc, DGDP (RCS Eng), Dip Teach Ed (King's), Retired Senior Teaching Fellow, Faculty of Dentistry and Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London; General Dental Practitioner, London
Every dental practitioner makes decisions about how to manage the various clinical and ethical challenges that patients present. There is a need to balance the demands of the patient with the ethical requirements of the profession and the moral position of the practitioner. It is essential to establish with the patient, before any treatment is carried out, what outcomes are required so that a mutually agreed care plan can be drawn up and acted upon. This article explores the clinical and moral and ethical challenges that can arise in the patient–practitioner relationship.
CPD/Clinical Relevance:
All practitioners will be faced with the issues raised in this article.
Article
What is it that brings patients to our dental practices? After all, it is not a pleasant experience having someone probe around your mouth and the best we can do is to make it as less unpleasant as possible.
Broadly speaking there will be three drivers for our patients: a specific problem, a routine check-up to know if all is well and what problems, if any, may be developing (a dental MOT), and/or an aesthetic concern about the appearance of the teeth and face; that is, seeking an enhancement.
With each of these, once a diagnosis or assessment has been made, it is essential that the provider of care has a clear vision of what outcome is best suited to balance the expectations of the patient with what is realistically achievable– ‘disappointment lives in the gap between expectation and reality’. Having settled on an outcome that has been agreed with the patient a care plan can be drawn up to achieve the goal or goals.
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