NBDHE Professional Ethics and Law Questions and Answers

Question 1

A dental hygienist completes a prophylaxis on an adult patient.
Without discussing it first, the hygienist applies a fluoride varnish, assuming the patient would want it.
The patient later expresses they did not want the treatment.
This action could be legally classified as which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Battery

Answer

Negligence

Answer

Abandonment

Answer

Defamation

Question 2

A dental hygienist is asked by the employing dentist to use an outdated and less effective method for sterilization because it is faster. The hygienist knows this method does not meet the current CDC standard of care and could risk patient safety. By refusing to comply, the hygienist is primarily upholding which ethical principle?

Accepted Answer

Non-maleficence

Answer

Autonomy

Answer

Veracity

Answer

Justice

Question 3

Which of the following is a permissible disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI) under the HIPAA Privacy Rule without requiring the patient's specific written authorization?

Accepted Answer

Submitting a claim with diagnostic codes to the patient's insurance company for payment.

Answer

Providing a patient's name and diagnosis to a pharmaceutical sales representative.

Answer

Discussing a patient's complex case with a colleague in the public waiting room.

Answer

Confirming a patient's presence at the clinic to their inquiring spouse over the phone.

Question 4

A dental hygienist with a standard license is working in a state where the administration of local anesthesia is not within the dental hygiene scope of practice. The dentist, who is running behind schedule, directs the hygienist to administer an infiltration to the patient. What is the hygienist's most appropriate and legal course of action?

Accepted Answer

Inform the dentist that this task is outside the legal scope of practice and respectfully decline.

Answer

Administer the anesthetic since it was directed by the dentist.

Answer

Ask the patient if they consent to the hygienist administering the anesthetic.

Answer

Document the dentist's request in the patient's chart and then proceed with the injection.

Question 5

A patient asks the dental hygienist if a dark spot on their radiograph is a cavity. The hygienist sees clear evidence of incipient caries, but the dentist has a policy of 'watching' these spots without alarming the patient. The hygienist feels conflicted about not being fully truthful. This situation creates a conflict between which two ethical principles?

Accepted Answer

Veracity and Beneficence

Answer

Justice and Autonomy

Answer

Confidentiality and Non-maleficence

Answer

Societal Trust and Justice

Question 6

For a civil lawsuit alleging professional negligence (malpractice) against a dental hygienist to be successful, the plaintiff must prove all of the following elements EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The hygienist acted with malicious intent.

Answer

There was a duty of care owed by the hygienist to the patient.

Answer

The hygienist breached the standard of care.

Answer

The hygienist's actions were the direct cause of an injury.