Can Dentistry Have Two Contracts with the Public?

Area of Science:

• Social contract theory
• Professional ethics
• Public health policy

Background:

• Learned professions, including dentistry, historically hold a covenantal relationship with the public.
• This relationship involves trust and exchange of privileges for public good, focusing on oral health equity.
• A shift is occurring, with dentists increasingly operating as business entities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the evolving social contract within the dental profession.
• To examine the implications of dentistry's dual role: a public trust and a commercial enterprise.
• To assess the impact of regulatory actions on dentistry's professional obligations.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of social contract theory applied to dentistry.
• Review of historical professional-public relationships.
• Examination of recent legal and regulatory trends affecting dental practice.

Main Results:

• Dentistry's traditional covenant, focused on public oral health, is challenged by a emerging commercial contract.
• This dual contract involves exchanging services for price, akin to commodity trading.
• Regulatory actions suggest dentistry cannot selectively benefit from both contracts without fulfilling associated obligations.

Conclusions:

• The traditional social contract for dentistry is being redefined by commercial pressures and regulatory oversight.
• Dentists face increasing pressure to balance professional duties with business operations.
• Future practice models must reconcile public service obligations with market-driven demands.