Trust the Code
The first sentence in our American Dental Association’s Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct reads as follows: “The dental profession holds a special position of trust within society.” Dictionary.com defines a position of trust as the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed.
Then, in the second paragraph of our Code, we are reminded that “Members of the ADA voluntarily agree to abide by the ADA Code as a condition of membership in the Association. They recognize that continued public trust in the dental profession is based on the commitment of individual dentists to high ethical standards of conduct.” So, public trust of dentistry is inherently tied to our individual commitment to ethical behavior – makes sense - but is there any proof, and do patients really pay attention? We are dentists, we like data.
I was interested to read in the ADA News (July 15, 2015) an article that summarized the findings of a survey commissioned by the Association’s Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs. The recent survey questioned 1,000 people to determine if patient’s awareness of our Code of Ethics, and whether or not a dentist was a member of the ADA, influenced their decision to become a patient of that dentist. Remarkably, 75% of those surveyed suggested that whether or not a dentist was a member of the ADA would influence their decision to choose the dentist, and furthermore, 69% are more inclined to select an ADA member dentist when they are aware that we follow a Code of Ethics. Surprisingly, 67% of those surveyed did know if their dentist was an ADA member.
The article concludes by suggesting that member dentists have the Code available and visible in their office, and that they post the Code on their website. What a novel idea, and given the results of this survey, who could argue? Every dentist I know publicizes that they are a member of the ADA, but I have never seen the Code, or even a link to it, on a colleague’s website. So, why not double down by making our Code readily available to our patients, a clear indication that we are aware of, and that we stand behind, the published ethical principles of our profession?
