9
Volume1 Issue5
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CDA
at
W
ork
AFoundationof Trust
I
amproud to serveaspresidentof theCDA, an
organization that acknowledgesour ethical
andprofessional responsibilities to society.
CDA ismakingaconcertedeffort in theseareas
and, indoing so, isworking toensure thatour
professioncontinues toearn thepublic’s trust.
Dentists arehere to serve thepublic—our
patients. Our status as competent, dedicated
andcompassionatehealthcareproviders is
firmly rooted inprofessional ethics,which
encompasses a standardofmoral principles that
guideour decisions andpatient interactions.
Demonstrating thesequalities iswhat
distinguishes aprofession froma job.
However, somemembersof thepublicmaybe
questioningour professionalismor doubting the
valueof our services. This is troublingas itmeans
that aportionof Canadiansmaynot believe that
dentists areprimarilymotivatedbyapatient’s
best interest.
Somewonderwhether this skepticism
is associatedwitha lackof professional
ethics indentistry. Ina2001
JADA
article,
1
Dr. GordonChristensenproposed
that dentistry’s imagehasbeen
tarnisheddue tobehaviours suchas
increasedcommercialismand self-
promotion, planningandcarryingout
excessive treatment, or refusing toaccept
responsibility if treatment failsprematurely.
It’s a reality that dentistsmust
balance thedual roleof
healthcareprovider and
businessowner. Ahealth
professional’sprimary
concernhowevermust
bepublic service, not
profit. If thepatient’s
best interests are
always consideredfirst and foremost, dentists
canoperateethicallywithin thismodel.
Fromwhat I’veobserved inmy40yearsof
practice, thebest formof advertising is a
word-of-mouth recommendation from satisfied
patients.We shouldn’t try toevaluate the
successof apracticeby theamount of revenue
it generates. The truemeasureof success is the
qualityof theoral healthcareweprovide toour
patients. Everythingelse is secondary.
Thesechallenges arenot unique todentistry.
Thepublichasbecome skeptical towards almost
all professions.Within suchanenvironment,we
mustworkharder todemonstrateour valueand
commitment to theoral healthof our patients.
TheTrust andValueWorkingGroup is aunique
collaborationof provincial andnational dental
leaders. Oneof its strategicgoals is toenhance
thepublic imageof dentistsby focussing
onhowwe interact andcommunicatewith
patients. A keyfinding from theGroup’s research
) shows that dentists recognize the
important roleof communication in their patient
relationships, andunderstand that patient
expectations for thecareand information they
receivearehigher thanever before.
CDA is alsodevelopinganewCodeof Ethics
for theprofession
). TheCodewill seek to
uniteCanadiandentists aroundanaspirational
set of sharedvalues, outlining theethical
commitments that canguideadentist’spractice
andour professional responsibilities.
Asdentistrymoves into the future,wemust
remember the importanceof ethics and
professionalism inour everydaypracticeand
work collectively touphold these standards.
Reference
1.ChristensenGJ.Thecredibilityofdentists.JAmDentAssoc.2001;132(8):1163-5.
GaryMacDonald,dds
Ethics andProfessionalism:
From thePresident
