Irrational requests for extractions
Abstract
Dental professionals encounter a number of challenging
ethical and legal dilemmas on a daily basis that often arise
due to conflicts between the ethical principles of autonomy,
non-maleficence (do no harm), beneficence (do good),
justice, veracity, and fidelity. The application of ethical
principles has always been important during any patient
encounter, and previously a health professional's obligation
was focussed on doing good and avoiding harm rather
than giving in to the patient's requests. Today a patientcentred
holistic approach and respect for patient autonomy
is a more apparent in health care.