Practical ethics in the managed care era

The dentist of the '90s will have to be a highly competent clinical ethicist to thrive in and feel good about dentistry. Ethics is often mistaken by dental professionals and students to be a dull, dry recounting of the things they must avoid to stay out of trouble. This article points out that ethical reflection is interesting and, on a practical level, essential to both practitioner and patient. Much is new to the dentist in this area, as biomedical ethics have evolved a great deal in the past few years. What follows is an outline of basic normative theory, a discussion of practical modern issues, and some psychological reflection on putting good decisions into action.