CED-3 - Ethical Considerations in Endodontics

Endodontists are making assessments many times every day; some of these decisions are evidence-based but more often than not decisions include value judgements. While specifically in the context of endodontics as practiced in the United States legal terms, such as the “standard of care” carry a lot of weight, ethical considerations are more universal and indeed independent from any legal standards. Universality is in fact a major characteristic of an ethical decision. For example, hopefully everyone would agree that it is unethical to lie to a patient to disguise the fact that an instrument fractured, and a fragment was retained in their root canal.
This presentation will describe both the philosophical background of ethics, with specific reference to endodontics, and give practical examples that reflect daily practice.
The framework is the ADA code of ethics, with its 5 main principles. This code is a framework professional conduct. The presentation will use the 5 principles, namely patient autonomy, beneficence, justice, veracity, and non-maleficence to discuss ethical conduct in specific endodontic questions, highlighted by clinical cases.