Dental Ethics – All Assignments Combined
Dental Ethics – Assignment 1
1. Autonomy in dental ethics refers to:
a) The dentist’s right to choose treatments for patients
b) The patient’s right to make informed decisions about their care
c) Government regulations on dental practice
d) Financial profit maximization in clinics
2. Which element is NOT required for valid informed consent?
a) Explaining alternative treatments
b) Discussing the dentist’s personal income
c) Disclosing risks of the procedure
d) Providing a diagnosis
3. A patient refuses a recommended crown due to cost. The dentist should:
a) Pressure the patient into accepting the treatment
b) Offer alternative options and document the refusal
c) Discharge the patient immediately
d) Perform the procedure without consent
4. For a child’s dental treatment, consent is typically obtained from:
a) The child, if they are over age 5
b) The parent or legal guardian
c) The family’s religious leader
d) The dental assistant
5. Cultural competence in autonomy means:
a) Ignoring patient preferences to follow clinical guidelines
b) Respecting religious/cultural beliefs (e.g., same-gender providers)
c) Charging higher fees for minority patients
d) Avoiding discussions about treatment risks
6. A patient with dementia cannot consent to treatment. The ethical action is to:
a) Proceed without consent
b) Seek consent from a legal guardian
c) Wait until the patient recovers
d) Refuse treatment permanently
7. Documenting a patient’s treatment refusal is critical to:
a) Increase clinic revenue
b) Avoid legal liability and confirm patient understanding
c) Bypass HIPAA regulations
d) Speed up appointments
Dental Ethics – Assignment 2
8. Upselling unnecessary cosmetic procedures violates autonomy by:
a) Prioritizing patient education
b) Coercing patients for financial gain
c) Following evidence-based guidelines
d) Reducing treatment time
9. A patient prefers extraction over a root canal due to anxiety. The dentist should:
a) Refuse to extract the tooth
b) Respect the choice after explaining consequences
c) Perform the root canal without consent
d) Charge extra for the extraction
10. Autonomy aligns with which ethical principle?
a) Non-maleficence
b) Justice
c) Beneficence
d) All of the above
11. Beneficence requires dentists to:
a) Maximize profits
b) Prioritize patient well-being
c) Follow only legal minimums
d) Ignore patient preferences
12. Recommending fluoride treatment over a filling for early caries demonstrates
beneficence by:
a) Choosing the least invasive option
b) Increasing appointment costs
c) Delaying necessary treatment
d) Avoiding patient education
13. A patient with dental anxiety refuses local anesthesia. The beneficent response is:
a) Proceed without anesthesia to save time
b) Explain the risks of pain and offer sedation alternatives
c) Cancel the appointment
d) Charge extra for anxiety management
14. Which scenario violates beneficence?
a) Performing a root canal on a necrotic tooth
b) Placing veneers on healthy teeth for profit
c) Providing emergency care for severe pain
d) Educating patients on oral hygiene
Dental Ethics – Assignment 3
1. Beneficence conflicts with autonomy when:
a) A patient refuses life-saving treatment
b) A dentist follows infection control protocols
c) A child receives preventive sealants
d) Insurance covers a procedure
2. A diabetic patient with gum disease declines treatment. The dentist should:
a) Accept the refusal without discussion
b) Advocate for treatment due to systemic health risks
c) Report the patient to authorities
d) Withhold other dental services
3. Continuing education supports beneficence by:
a) Increasing clinic profits
b) Ensuring up-to-date, evidence-based care
c) Reducing appointment times
d) Limiting patient interaction
4. Prioritizing a patient with an abscess over routine cleanings reflects:
a) Favoritism
b) Beneficence (urgent need first)
c) Financial bias
d) Legal coercion
5. Parents refuse fluoride for their child. The dentist should:
a) Respect their choice without comment
b) Educate them on fluoride’s benefits and document the discussion
c) Call child protective services
d) Administer fluoride secretly
6. Beneficence is most closely tied to:
a) Patient autonomy
b) Non-maleficence ("do no harm")
c) Advertising strategies
d) Insurance fraud
7. A patient requests tooth whitening but has untreated cavities. The ethical response
is:
a) Proceed with whitening to satisfy the patient
b) Treat cavities first and explain risks of whitening on decayed teeth
c) Refuse all future care
d) Recommend extraction instead
Dental Ethics – Assignment 4
8. An elderly patient refuses dentures due to cost. The beneficent action is:
a) Insist on payment upfront
b) Offer payment plans or partial solutions
c) Discharge the patient
d) Perform the procedure without consent
9. A dentist learns a patient’s religious beliefs prohibit blood transfusions. During
oral surgery, the dentist should:
a) Ignore the belief to follow standard protocols
b) Adapt the treatment plan to minimize bleeding risks
c) Refuse to treat the patient
d) Charge extra for religious accommodations
10. A child needs urgent extractions, but parents delay consent. The dentist should:
a) Wait indefinitely
b) Seek emergency legal authorization if necessary
c) Perform the procedure without consent
d) Bill the parents for delayed care
11. A patient demands antibiotics for mild toothache. The dentist should:
a) Prescribe them to avoid conflict
b) Explain antibiotic misuse risks and recommend alternatives
c) Refuse all pain management
d) Charge extra for the prescription
12. What is the core ethical mandate of the principle of non-maleficence in dental
practice?
a) Maximize profit while maintaining care
b) Avoid causing preventable harm to patients
c) Ensure complete autonomy for the patient
d) Promote elective cosmetic procedures
13. Which of the following is an example of iatrogenic harm?
a) Providing oral hygiene education
b) Detecting caries at an early stage
c) Nerve damage during tooth extraction
d) Prescribing fluoride toothpaste
14. In the context of non-maleficence, a dentist should prefer which of the following
treatment options for incipient caries?
a) Immediate extraction
b) Full-coverage crown
c) Remineralization therapy
d) Root canal treatment
Dental Ethics – Assignment 5
1. Non-maleficence in dentistry is primarily required for:
a) Boosting clinic profits
b) Avoiding preventable harm to patients
c) Promoting cosmetic procedures
d) Reducing appointment times
2. Which action BEST demonstrates non-maleficence?
a) Placing a filling on incipient caries without attempting remineralization
b) Using sterilized instruments for every patient
c) Recommending veneers for all anterior teeth
d) Skipping medical history reviews to save time
3. Iatrogenic harm refers to:
a) Harm caused by dental treatment
b) Natural progression of dental disease
c) Insurance non-compliance
d) Insurance denial of claims
4. A dentist considers extracting a tooth with moderate periodontitis when
periodontal therapy could save it. This may violate non-maleficence by:
a) Being too conservative
b) Causing unnecessary bone loss
c) Respecting patient autonomy
d) Following insurance guidelines
5. Which scenario represents psychological harm?
a) Using local anesthesia for a restoration
b) Shaming a patient for poor oral hygiene
c) Providing a detailed treatment plan
d) Offering payment plans
6. Non-maleficence conflicts with autonomy when:
a) A patient refuses life-saving treatment
b) A dentist follows infection control protocols
c) A child receives fluoride treatment
d) Insurance covers a procedure
7. Overuse of CBCT scans may violate non-maleficence due to:
a) High cost
b) Excessive radiation exposure
c) Long appointment times
d) Insurance paperwork
Dental Ethics – Assignment 6
8. A dentist fails to diagnose oral cancer at an early stage. This is primarily a failure
of:
a) Justice
b) Non-maleficence
c) Beneficence
d) Autonomy
9. Which of the following best illustrates psychological harm in dentistry?
a) Administering local anesthesia
b) Using judgmental language about poor oral hygiene
c) Using radiographic diagnostics
d) Recommending follow-up appointments
10. A violation of the principle of non-maleficence may include all EXCEPT:
a) Inadequate supervision of auxiliaries
b) Clear and informed consent documentation
c) Performing procedures beyond competency
d) Medication dosage errors
11. Which modern practice poses new challenges for non-maleficence in dentistry?
a) Use of traditional hand instruments
b) Performing fluoride varnish applications
c) Excessive CBCT radiation exposure
d) Manual tooth charting
12. Which ethical principle is primarily concerned with fairness in distribution and
access to dental care?
a) Autonomy
b) Justice
c) Non-maleficence
d) Beneficence
13. What is an example of distributive justice in dentistry?
a) Ensuring patient confidentiality
b) Offering extended evening hours
c) Prioritizing emergency patients over routine check-ups
d) Performing all procedures under general anesthesia
14. Which strategy addresses social justice in dental care?
a) Performing only private practice dentistry
b) Advocating for community fluoridation programs
c) Offering cosmetic whitening services
d) Limiting service to insured patients
Dental Ethics – Assignment 7
1. Which practice MOST aligns with non-maleficence?
a) Reusing single-use devices to cut costs
b) Prescribing antibiotics for viral infections
c) Customizing anesthesia doses for medical conditions
d) Skipping medical history updates
2. A dental error (e.g., wrong tooth extraction) should be:
a) Hidden from the patient
b) Disclosed promptly and managed
c) Billed to insurance as normal
d) Blamed on the dental assistant
3. Justice in dental ethics requires:
a) Charging wealthier patients higher fees
b) Equitable resource distribution
c) Prioritizing cosmetic cases
d) Limiting care to insured patients
4. A rural community lacks dentists. This is a barrier to:
a) Autonomy
b) Beneficence
c) Distributive justice
d) Non-maleficence
5. Which policy promotes procedural justice?
a) Charging emergency fees only to Medicaid patients
b) Using a transparent system for scheduling urgent cases
c) Refusing service to non-native language speakers
d) Prioritizing celebrity patients
6. A clinic offers sliding-scale fees. This addresses:
a) Geographic barriers
b) Economic injustice
c) Cultural incompetence
d) Technological limitations
7. The ADA Principles of Ethics explicitly prohibit:
a) Continuing education
b) Discrimination in care provision
c) Using dental assistants
d) Charging for consultations
Dental Ethics – Assignment 8
8. School fluoride programs primarily advance:
a) Social justice
b) Dentist profitability
c) Insurance profits
d) Cosmetic dentistry
9. A dentist has one emergency slot left. Ethically, it should go to:
a) A long-time patient with mild discomfort
b) A new patient with severe abscess pain
c) A friend of the office manager
d) The highest-paying patient
10. Cultural competency training supports justice by:
a) Increasing clinic revenue
b) Reducing language and cultural care barriers
c) Shortening appointment times
d) Eliminating the need for interpreters
11. FDI’s “Vision 2030” advocates for:
a) Exclusive luxury dental care
b) Integrating oral health into universal coverage
c) Limiting dentist licensure
d) Privatizing all dental services
12. Medicaid reimbursement challenges threaten justice by:
a) Encouraging overtreatment
b) Limiting provider participation in low-income care
c) Improving dentist incomes
d) Simplifying insurance paperwork
13. A refugee patient needs urgent care but lacks insurance. The just action is:
a) Refuse treatment due to payment concerns
b) Provide care and connect them to social services
c) Charge double the standard fee
d) Delay treatment until payment is secured
14. A dentist notices colleagues consistently overtreating Medicaid patients. This
violates:
a) Only autonomy
b) Only non-maleficence
c) Both justice and non-maleficence
d) No ethical principles
