Ethics instruction at California dental schools

What is it about?

Purpose/ Objectives: This essay is a report of qualitative research conducted in 2015 to determine the methods that California dental schools use to educate undergraduate dental students in professional ethics. Its purpose was to describe Dental Ethics curricula in the State of California and describe diverse undergraduate programs, foster communication and collaboration between schools, and facilitate dialogue.Methods: Faculty members identified as Dental Ethics Course Directors at four schools were contacted by phone to inform them of the research project and invite participation. Subjects then responded to an emailed survey questionnaire. Results: Results were collated and analyzed. Conclusions: Effective ethics instruction is an essential component of modern dental education, and results show that each of the four schools uses a variety of methods to accomplish the task.Keywords: dental education, dental ethics, professionalism education, Codes of Ethics, principle-based ethics.

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