Initial Prompt
Dental hygiene professionals are responsible for upholding ethical standards when practicing to avoid any potential malpractice. The code of ethics provides enforceable standards of minimally decent conduct and indicates general terms professionals must consider when deciding conduct. It is used to describe the essential characteristics of a true dental hygienist and for personal self-regulation. The professional code of ethics binds the group members together by expressing the goals, aspirations, and defining standards of behavior; in other words, it is a contract the profession makes with society. As a dental hygienist, the professional code of ethics includes personal integrity, dedication to the profession/patients, and moral behavior. It is reasonable to believe codes of ethics work in healthcare settings because professionals, at their core, are assumed to believe in the greater good and are obligated to do good and regulate their profession. Ethical codes are not legal mandates but are still enforced through self-regulation by professional authorities. They create a relationship among professionals similar to a family, lessening the need for outside enforcement.
The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) created the first ethical code for dental hygienists in 1927. The dental hygienist has seven sections of the ADHA code of ethics: preamble, purpose, key concepts, basic beliefs, fundamental principles, core values, and standards of professional responsibility. Each of these seven sections provides a statement of ethical behavior the public can expect from dental hygienists. The last section, the standards of professional responsibility, has nine subcategories: to ourselves as hygienists, to ourselves as professionals, to family and friends, to clients, to colleagues, to employees and employers, to the dental hygiene profession, to the community and society, and to scientific investigation. Each subcategory has ethical standards that an individual should uphold to be a true dental hygienist and for personal self-regulation. Ethical standards must be upheld in the dental hygiene world and in one’s personal life to promote growth and safe spaces for everyone.
Reflective Response
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