Conflict between patient autonomy and oral health in dentistry

Szilárd uses ROCK to analyze an ethical dilemma in medicine.

February 22, 2023

Szilárd is a PhD student, whose area of research is ethics in dentistry. Medical ethics is a field which is rooted in philosophy, however Szilárd aims is to conduct an qualitative-quantitative empirical study, and apply those results in theoretical reasoning. The topic of his project is the conflict between patient autonomy and oral health. The relevance of this issue is twofold: First, contemporary medical ethics acknowledges patient autonomy , therefore patients may desire or refuse treatments in a manner that is not beneficial for them; Second, dentistry experiences a rising demand for cosmetic interventions, of which many may impair oral health. In this study in-depth interviews are conducted among dentists and laypersons to explore their values and judgements concerning this ethical dilemma. For more details please view the open access profile of the project: Conflict between patient autonomy and oral health in dentistry.