FREE NDEB Professionalism and Ethics Questions and Answers

Question 1

A dentist presents a single, high-cost treatment plan involving implants to a patient for multiple missing teeth. The dentist fails to discuss or present a functionally viable, less expensive alternative, such as a removable partial denture. Which primary ethical principle is most directly violated by this omission?

Accepted Answer

Autonomy

Answer

The principle of Autonomy requires that dentists respect the patient's right to self-determination. This is accomplished through a process of informed consent, which involves presenting all reasonable treatment options, along with their respective risks, benefits, and costs. By omitting a viable alternative, the dentist limits the patient's ability to make a fully informed choice, thereby violating their autonomy.

Question 2

A patient's adult child calls the dental office requesting specific details about their parent's recent restorative treatment for a school project. The patient has not provided any consent for this disclosure. According to Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), what is the most appropriate response?

Accepted Answer

Explain that without the patient's express written consent, no health information can be released.

Answer

PIPEDA and provincial privacy laws mandate that personal health information is confidential and cannot be disclosed to a third party, including family members, without the patient's explicit consent. The reason for the request, such as a school project, does not override this fundamental privacy requirement.

Question 3

During an endodontic procedure, a dentist fractures a small file tip in the apical third of a root canal. The dentist successfully seals the canal, and the prognosis is considered good. Which of the following actions best demonstrates the ethical principle of veracity?

Accepted Answer

Informing the patient of the incident, discussing the potential prognosis, and documenting the conversation in the chart.

Answer

Veracity, or truthfulness, obligates dentists to be honest with patients about all aspects of their treatment, including procedural complications or adverse events. Informing the patient about the separated instrument, discussing the prognosis, and documenting this communication respects the patient's autonomy and upholds the principle of veracity.

Question 4

A dentist has a significant financial ownership stake in a specific dental implant manufacturing company. The dentist's treatment recommendations consistently and exclusively favor this company's products, even in clinical situations where alternatives might be more suitable. This situation primarily creates a conflict between the dentist's professional duties and their:

Accepted Answer

Personal financial interests

Answer

A conflict of interest arises when a professional's personal interests, such as financial gain, could reasonably be seen as influencing their professional judgment. The primary duty to act in the patient's best interest (beneficence) is compromised by the competing personal financial interest in promoting a specific product.

Question 5

A new dentist acquires a practice and, upon reviewing patient records, discovers a pattern of substandard treatment and fraudulent billing by the previous owner that has caused harm to patients. What is the new dentist's primary ethical obligation?

Accepted Answer

To inform the affected patients of the findings and report the previous dentist to the provincial dental regulatory authority.

Answer

A dentist's foremost ethical duty is to protect the public and ensure patient safety. This includes a responsibility to report incompetent or unethical conduct by other professionals to the appropriate provincial regulatory body (e.g., RCDSO, CDSA). This duty to the public supersedes professional courtesy.

NDEB - National Dental Examining Board Practice Test

NDEB - National Dental Examining Board Practice Test

FREE NDEB Professionalism and Ethics Questions and Answers