The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping review
Abstract Background Respect for patient autonomy, the principle that patients are capable to make informed decisions about medical interventions, is fundamental in present-day medicine. However, if a patient’s request is medically not indicated, the practitioner faces an ethical dilemma represented...
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BMC
2024-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Ethics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01156-3 |
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| author | Szilárd Dávid Kovács Anggi Septia Irawan Szilvia Zörgő József Kovács |
| author_facet | Szilárd Dávid Kovács Anggi Septia Irawan Szilvia Zörgő József Kovács |
| author_sort | Szilárd Dávid Kovács |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Respect for patient autonomy, the principle that patients are capable to make informed decisions about medical interventions, is fundamental in present-day medicine. However, if a patient’s request is medically not indicated, the practitioner faces an ethical dilemma represented by the conflict of the principles of patient autonomy, beneficence, and maleficence. Adjacent to topics such as medical assistance in dying and healthy limb amputation, this ethical dilemma also manifests in the care of the maxillofacial region (the oral cavity and its surroundings), an area crucial to esthetic appearance, but also to everyday functions including mastication, speech, and facial expression, all of which are related to well-being. Our aim was to explore the manifestations and resolutions of the conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in relevant literature in order to contribute to the discourse of ethical challenges concerning patient autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. Methods We screened all journal articles discussing the researched ethical dilemma obtained from three databases. Two researchers developed a hierarchical coding scheme, where the parent and grandparent codes were designated deductively as: Case (situations involving the researched ethical dilemma), Judgement (decisions made in the ethical dilemma), and Principle (ideas, rules, propositions explaining the judgements); child codes were developed inductively. After coding the sources, we utilized thematic analysis to construct code constellations. Results Most themes identified in our sources advocated for the practitioner to choose the alternative that benefits the patient from a medical perspective, although no theme excluded the consideration of patient autonomy. Instances where respect for patient autonomy was encouraged concerned oral preventive care or when the requested intervention was expected to have an insignificant impact on oral health. Conclusions Ethical conflicts concerning patient autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence have a marked presence in oral care. These conflicts arise through the issue of body modification, evident in cosmetic dentistry and requests for tooth extraction. Our sources generally support the argumentation for beneficence, despite the rise of cosmetic procedures in dentistry. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-970d6b0a063e4ad4b75283e97a561a28 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6939 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Ethics |
| spelling | doaj-art-970d6b0a063e4ad4b75283e97a561a282024-12-22T12:46:23ZengBMCBMC Medical Ethics1472-69392024-12-0125111010.1186/s12910-024-01156-3The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping reviewSzilárd Dávid Kovács0Anggi Septia Irawan1Szilvia Zörgő2József Kovács3Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis UniversityInstitute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis UniversityMaastricht UniversityInstitute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis UniversityAbstract Background Respect for patient autonomy, the principle that patients are capable to make informed decisions about medical interventions, is fundamental in present-day medicine. However, if a patient’s request is medically not indicated, the practitioner faces an ethical dilemma represented by the conflict of the principles of patient autonomy, beneficence, and maleficence. Adjacent to topics such as medical assistance in dying and healthy limb amputation, this ethical dilemma also manifests in the care of the maxillofacial region (the oral cavity and its surroundings), an area crucial to esthetic appearance, but also to everyday functions including mastication, speech, and facial expression, all of which are related to well-being. Our aim was to explore the manifestations and resolutions of the conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in relevant literature in order to contribute to the discourse of ethical challenges concerning patient autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. Methods We screened all journal articles discussing the researched ethical dilemma obtained from three databases. Two researchers developed a hierarchical coding scheme, where the parent and grandparent codes were designated deductively as: Case (situations involving the researched ethical dilemma), Judgement (decisions made in the ethical dilemma), and Principle (ideas, rules, propositions explaining the judgements); child codes were developed inductively. After coding the sources, we utilized thematic analysis to construct code constellations. Results Most themes identified in our sources advocated for the practitioner to choose the alternative that benefits the patient from a medical perspective, although no theme excluded the consideration of patient autonomy. Instances where respect for patient autonomy was encouraged concerned oral preventive care or when the requested intervention was expected to have an insignificant impact on oral health. Conclusions Ethical conflicts concerning patient autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence have a marked presence in oral care. These conflicts arise through the issue of body modification, evident in cosmetic dentistry and requests for tooth extraction. Our sources generally support the argumentation for beneficence, despite the rise of cosmetic procedures in dentistry.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01156-3BeneficenceDental EthicsEstheticsOral healthPersonal AutonomyTooth extraction |
| spellingShingle | Szilárd Dávid Kovács Anggi Septia Irawan Szilvia Zörgő József Kovács The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping review BMC Medical Ethics Beneficence Dental Ethics Esthetics Oral health Personal Autonomy Tooth extraction |
| title | The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping review |
| title_full | The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping review |
| title_fullStr | The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping review |
| title_short | The conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry: a scoping review |
| title_sort | conflict between oral health and patient autonomy in dentistry a scoping review |
| topic | Beneficence Dental Ethics Esthetics Oral health Personal Autonomy Tooth extraction |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01156-3 |
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