NBDHE Professional Ethics and Law Flashcards

An adult patient with intact decision-making capacity wishes to leave the dental office mid-procedure against the hygienist's advice. The hygienist should:

Answer: Allow the patient to leave and document the situation thoroughly

Competent adults have the right to leave at any time; the hygienist should allow departure, provide any urgent safety information, and carefully document the event.

Which of the following actions by a dental hygienist would most likely constitute negligence?

Answer: Failing to detect signs of oral cancer that a reasonably competent hygienist would have identified

Failure to detect abnormalities that a reasonably competent hygienist would have found represents a breach of the standard of care, which can constitute negligence.

A dental hygienist who provides care to a patient in an emergency situation outside their workplace and without compensation may be protected from liability under:

Answer: Good Samaritan laws

Good Samaritan laws provide legal protection to licensed professionals who voluntarily render emergency aid in good faith outside of their normal professional capacity.

Patient abandonment in dental practice occurs when the provider:

Answer: Terminates care without adequate notice or referral when treatment is still needed

Abandonment occurs when a practitioner unilaterally terminates the provider-patient relationship without proper notice or referral while the patient still requires care.

The principle of justice in dental hygiene ethics primarily relates to:

Answer: Fair and equitable distribution of dental care and resources

Justice refers to the fair, equitable, and appropriate treatment of all individuals, including fair distribution of dental care and resources across society.

Which of the following represents an ethical conflict between patient autonomy and beneficence?

Answer: A patient refuses a medically necessary procedure that the hygienist believes is in their best interest

When a patient's autonomous refusal of care conflicts with what the provider believes is best for the patient, an autonomy-versus-beneficence tension exists.

A dental hygienist's license is issued by and can be revoked by:

Answer: The state dental board or state regulatory agency

Dental hygiene licenses are granted and regulated by state dental boards or equivalent state regulatory agencies, which also have authority to revoke or suspend licensure.