NBDHE Professional Ethics and Law 2

Question 1

Which ethical principle requires the dental hygienist to tell the truth and provide accurate information to patients?

Accepted Answer

Veracity

Answer

Veracity is the ethical principle of truthfulness — dental hygienists have a duty to provide accurate, complete, and honest information to patients regarding diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options.

Question 2

Informed consent in dental hygiene practice requires all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The patient must be guaranteed a specific treatment outcome

Answer

Informed consent requires disclosure of diagnosis, proposed treatment, risks/benefits, alternatives, and consequences of no treatment — but cannot guarantee specific outcomes, as individual variation exists.

Question 3

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule requires dental practices to:

Accepted Answer

Provide patients with a Notice of Privacy Practices and protect individually identifiable health information from unauthorized disclosure

Answer

HIPAA requires covered entities (including dental practices) to provide patients a Notice of Privacy Practices and to implement safeguards protecting Protected Health Information (PHI) from unauthorized use or disclosure.

Question 4

A dental hygienist who performs a procedure that they are not legally authorized to perform in their state may be charged with:

Accepted Answer

Practicing dentistry without a license (unauthorized practice of dentistry)

Answer

Performing procedures beyond the dental hygienist's legal scope of practice — regardless of dentist authorization — constitutes unauthorized practice of dentistry, which is a criminal offense in all states.

Question 5

Which action represents proper documentation in the event of a patient refusing recommended treatment?

Accepted Answer

Document the refusal in the patient's chart, including the risks and alternatives explained, and have the patient sign a refusal of care form

Answer

Informed refusal must be fully documented: what was recommended, what risks were explained, what alternatives were offered, the patient's decision, and ideally a signed informed refusal form to protect both patient and provider.

NBDHE Test Practice Test

NBDHE Test Practice Test

NBDHE Professional Ethics and Law 2