Seapoint Clinic: Professionalism Negligence in Dentistry

As every dental professional is more than aware of, continual development is essential to the industry. Therefore, it is the personal responsibility of every dental professional to remain up to date with all the relevant skills and experience in order to maintain clinical competency.

By doing so, this enables practitioners to continue to build on their abilities and capabilities to either strengthen their portfolio or further their knowledge in a particular field. It's vital that learning how to apply experience, skills and knowledge to treatment using sound judgement in order to provide outstanding professional dental care.

It's essential that all the clinical facts and treatment options with their advantages and risks are assessed, as well as interaction between the practitioner and the patient, to find the most appropriate method for treatment. It's often found that well-informed, engaged patients are in a stronger position to decide between treatment options and are more likely to take ownership of the final treatment decision and results. However, research suggests that patients seem to prefer this collaborative approach, with the patient and the dentist equally sharing responsibility for decision-making. Quite often, discussing a treatment plan step by step can help a patient to understand and appreciate the reasons for and the health benefits of each procedure. 

Developing the trust of patients is one of the most important attributes of professionalism. As all dentists know, patients’ well-being should always be put ahead of costs or any other considerations. When patients trust a dentist's professionalism, competency and judgement, they are more likely to seek dental services, comply with treatment and recommendations, and return for further appointments.