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Reflection 2

Jacob de Werd

Mesa Community College, Dental Hygiene program

DHE: 219

Kim Zitek

February 12, 2024

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Throughout our lives and careers there are many decisions we come to make that present

multiple paths. Sometimes it is a hard decision to know what path to go on, however we

eventually come to a decision and go down one of these paths which will take us to our end

result. This is very similar to how ethics and ethical decision-making influences us throughout

our careers and lives.

Many wonder what ethics is. Ethics is defined as our “moral development; it is how

individuals differentiate what is right from wrong and how they incorporate this skill into life

(Beemsterboer 2017).” It is developed throughout our lives as we face new decisions, even if

they are right or wrong. As said in text “… a wider range of life experiences typically enriches a

person’s awareness of moral aspects of situations (Beemsterboer, 2017).” Not only do we learn

Ethic decisions by life experience, but we also develop them through education such as in the

dental hygiene program.

It is crucial for a dental hygienist to learn about ethics due to the situations that are faced

on a daily basis. Many choices have to be made during patient care that are difficult. For

example, if a person with low oral motivation and high caries risk, should they be recommended

for orthodontics? Although the patient may need ortho the question we have to ask is it right to

implement this knowing that the chance of caries is increased with ortho brackets on. By

applying ethical decision making we can revise and reflect on these situations and make the best

outcome for our patients.

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When viewing ethics, individuals utilize different theories in order to narrow their

decisions and find the best solution they think is possible. One theory that is demonstrated in

ethics and law in dental hygiene is consequentialism, which is when “rightness or wrongness of

an action is determined and justified by the consequences of the act being considered, judge in

comparison with the consequences of the other possible acts that might be performed in the

situation (Beemsterboer, 2017).” This indicates that consequentialism allows someone to look at

all options and weigh the pros and cons and decide on the best possible outcome. An example of

Consequentialism is how a hygienist may witness something not ethically correct (such as an

employer leaving overhang margins as depicted by Beemosterboer). Ultimately the hygienist

weighs what are the possible outcomes, and which one would be the best choice to pursue (bring

it up to the employer, not saying anything, etc. Beemsterboer 2017). With consequentialism the

main focus is the overall consequence that results from the action, which ever action leads to the

best consequence is determined the best choice.

Similarly, utilitarian theory is a form of consequentialism that looks at all outcomes of a

decision before being made. However, utilitarianism decides what is morally or ethically just

based on what benefits the majority of people. An example of utilitarianism is dental public

health and how utilizing fluoride application can benefit the community. Although some people

may not agree with fluoride, the majority of the community benefits from the anti-cariogenic

properties of fluoride, thus making utilitarianism more beneficial for the majority of the

population.
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Although ethical theories are similar in many ways by differentiating right actions versus

wrong actions, some theories differ in which the outcome is not the key role in influencing a

decision. Unlike consequential and utilitarianism, deontology (duty theory) bases itself on the

fact that some actions are solely based on right or wrong regardless of the consequences of the

action. As stated in text, “some moral standards exist independently of the particular

circumstances of an action and do not depend on the consequences (Beemsterboer, 2017).” This

explains that moral standards in some situations are either right or wrong even though the

outcome or the consequence may differ from the action (the right action may have a negative

consequence or the wrong action may have a positive consequence). For example, deontology

can be depicted when a profession has to state the truth; as explained be Beemsterboer, it is a

health care providers moral duty to tell the truth to the patient (Beemsterboer 2017). Although

there may be a negative outcome in telling the truth to the patient, it is in the best interest of both

the provider and the patient to make everything translucent and make sure all information is

given to the patient.

Lastly, virtue theory focuses on how a person develops ethical and moral values through

learning and practicing. Virtue theory of ethics according to Beemsterboer “focuses not so much

on the rightness or wrongness of a given act or whether it conforms to duty, but rather on the

goodness of the person who habitually chooses to act in that way or sees such acts as a proper
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response to duty (Beemsterboer, 2017).” This can be best shown with how dental hygienists or

professions utilize patient care. As hygienist it is important to exercise kindness and

righteousness to patients even in frustrating situations. It allows the virtue to be shown through

our character and how we can continue to apply this to future patients.

All in all, each theory can be applied in practice of dental hygiene. Many ethical choices

are presented during patient care that a hygienist faces that require critical thinking of what

action to take. Consequentialism is what I believe to be the one ethical theory that is applied

most during practice. This is due to the uniqueness of how a patient is treated. Each treatment

that is performed on a patient is catered to their needs, which leaves it up to the hygienist to

ultimately help guide them with a correct plan of action. The hygienist must ultimately make the

right choices that will ultimately yield the best consequence for the patient.
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References

Beemsterboer, P. L. (2017). Chapter 2: Ethical Theory and philosophy. Ethics and law in Dental

Hygiene (3rd ed.) (pp.15-23). Elsevier.