"Do you have a healthy smile?"

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Cosmetic Surgery
• Dentistry

Background:

• Cosmetic interventions are increasingly common in dentistry and plastic surgery.
• The ethical and medical classification of these procedures remains debated.
• Marketing strategies for cosmetic procedures often face scrutiny from medical professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if cosmetic interventions qualify as medical interventions proper.
• To assess whether cosmetic procedures should be evaluated using established medical-ethical norms.
• To differentiate between interventions aimed at health restoration and those focused on aesthetic enhancement.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of medical intervention definitions.
• Application of medical-ethical principles (nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice) to cosmetic procedures.
• Examination of the objective and subjective goals of cosmetic interventions.

Main Results:

• Most cosmetic interventions do not meet objective standards for restoring or maintaining patient health.
• Cosmetic procedures primarily aim to enhance physical appearance based on subjective client perception.
• The classification of cosmetic interventions as 'medical practice proper' is questionable.

Conclusions:

• Cosmetic interventions generally do not qualify as medical interventions proper.
• Evaluating cosmetic procedures by strict medical-ethical standards may be inappropriate if they do not address health.
• A clear distinction is needed between health-restoring treatments and appearance-enhancing procedures.