Home >>
Member Center >> Code of
Ethics
With official advisory opinions revised to January 2010.
Special Position of
Trust
The dental profession holds a special position of trust
within society. As a consequence, society affords the
profession certain privileges that are not available to
members of the public-at-large. In return, the profession
makes a commitment to society that its members will adhere
to high ethical standards of conduct. These standards are
embodied in the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of
Professional Conduct (ADA Code). The
ADA Code
is, in effect, a written expression of the obligations
arising from the implied contract between the dental
profession and society.
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.
About the
ADA Code
The
ADA Code
has three main components: The Principles of Ethics, the
Code of Professional Conduct and the Advisory Opinions.
The Principles of Ethics are the aspirational goals of
the profession. They provide guidance and offer
justification for the Code of Professional Conduct and
the Advisory Opinions. There are five fundamental
principles that form the foundation of the ADA Code: patient
autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and veracity.
Principles can overlap each other as well as compete with
each other for priority. More than one principle can justify
a given element of the Code of Professional Conduct.
Principles may at times need to be balanced against each
other, but, otherwise, they are the profession's firm
guideposts.
The Code of Professional Conduct is an
expression of specific types of conduct that are either
required or prohibited. The
Code of Professional Conduct
is a product of the ADA's legislative system. All elements
of the Code of Professional Conduct result from
resolutions that are adopted by the ADA's House of
Delegates. The Code of Professional Conduct is
binding on members of the ADA, and violations may result in
disciplinary action.
Advisory Opinions
The Advisory Opinions are
interpretations that apply the
Code of Professional
Conduct to specific fact situations. They are adopted
by the ADA's Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs
to provide guidance to the membership on how the Council
might interpret the Code of Professional Conduct in
a disciplinary proceeding.
The
ADA Code is
an evolving document and by its very nature cannot be a
complete articulation of all ethical obligations. The ADA
Code is the result of an on-going dialogue between the
dental profession and society, and as such, is subject to
continuous review.
Although ethics and the law are
closely related, they are not the same. Ethical obligations
may and often do exceed legal duties. In resolving any
ethical problem not explicitly covered by the
ADA Code,
dentists should consider the ethical principles, the
patient's needs and interests, and any applicable laws
|
|
|
