Professional Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real ADAP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Ethics flashcards as text
A new dental assistant learns that a longtime employee regularly falsifies sterilization logs. What is the ethical obligation?
Answer: Report the falsification to a supervisor or infection control officer
Falsifying sterilization records endangers patients and violates infection control standards; reporting through proper channels is mandatory.
Which concept describes the obligation of dental professionals to keep personal information about patients private and secure?
Answer: Confidentiality
Confidentiality is the ethical and legal duty to protect patient information from unauthorized disclosure.
A dental assistant notices that a patient's chart contains an outdated allergy warning that was never updated. What is the most ethical action?
Answer: Flag the discrepancy to the dentist so the chart can be properly reviewed and updated
Outdated allergy information poses a patient safety risk; bringing it to the dentist's attention ensures accurate and safe care.
What ethical principle is most relevant when a dental assistant ensures that a patient with a language barrier fully understands the consent process?
Answer: Autonomy
Respecting autonomy means ensuring the patient has the information needed to make a truly voluntary and informed decision, which requires removing language barriers.
A dental assistant is pressured by office management to recommend elective whitening treatments to patients who have not asked for them. This creates an ethical concern primarily related to:
Answer: Creating a conflict between commercial interests and patient-centered care
Recommending services for financial gain rather than patient need conflicts with the ethical duty to act in the patient's best interest.
Which of the following best demonstrates professional accountability in dental assisting?
Answer: Acknowledging and reporting one's own procedural error to the supervising dentist
Professional accountability requires self-reporting errors honestly so corrective action can be taken and patient safety protected.
Under dental ethics, what is the primary reason a dental assistant should avoid social media contact with patients outside of official practice communications?
Answer: It can blur professional boundaries and compromise the therapeutic relationship
Personal social media contact with patients erodes professional boundaries and can create conflicts of interest or confidentiality risks.