,Chapter 01: Ethics and Professionalism
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Beemsterboer: Ethics and Law in Dental Hygiene, 4th Edition
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MULTIPLE CHOICE f
1. When was the inception of the profession of dental hygiene?
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a. In ancient Greece
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b. In the early 1800s
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c. In the early 1900s
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d. In 1979 f
ANS: C f
The scope of practice of a dental hygienist was first established by law in Connecticut in 1915.
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Alfred C. Fones taught his dental assistant, Irene Newman, to treat patients and to teachthem to
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maintain their mouths in a clean state. In 1913, Fones established the first school for dental
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hygienists in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The first oath written for dental hygienists calledupon
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Apollo and Hygeia, who were the Greek god and goddess of health, respectively. A
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modernized version of the first oath was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the American
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Dental Hygienists’Association (ADHA) in 1979.
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DIF: Recall REF: p. 3 OBJ: 1 f f f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.1 Ethical Principles, including informed consent
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2. Which member of the dental team is the primary oral preventive therapist?
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a. Dentist
b. Dental hygienist f
c. Dental assistant f
d. Receptionist
ANS: B f
The dental hygienist is the oral preventive therapist in the dental office. The dentists who
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pioneered this special field of endeavor had a vision of the day when dental disease could be
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prevented by following a system of treatment and cleanliness. The dentist is primarily
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concerned with restorative treatment, although he or she also shares in preventing oral disease.
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The dental assistant assists the dentist and may assist the dental hygienist as well. The
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receptionist greets patients and may help with the business and financial aspects of the practice.
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DIF: Recall REF: p. 4 OBJ: 1 f f f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.4 General
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3. The dental hygiene oath is revised by action of which of the following professional
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organizations?
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a. TheAmerican Dental Association (ADA)
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b. TheAmerican Dental Hygienists’Association (ADHA)
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c. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
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d. The Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention (OSAP)
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e. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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ANS: B f
, The first dental hygiene oath was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the American Dental
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Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) in 1979 and is still in use today. The oath may be seen at the
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following website (www.adha.org/aboutadha/dhoath.htm). The American Dental Association
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has an oath for dentists. A copy of each oath may be found in the textbook.
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DIF: Recall REF: p. 3 OBJ: 1 f f f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.4 General
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4. Success is measured by financial gain in the corporate world; however, for the health care
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professional the patient’s welfare is placed above profit.
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a. Both the statement and reason are correct and related.
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b. Both the statement and reason are correct but NOT related.
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c. The statement is correct, but the reason is NOT.
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d. The statement is NOT correct, but the reason is correct.
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e. NEITHER the statement NOR the reason is correct. f f f f f f f
ANS: A f
Because the welfare of the patient is more important than profit, society has granted the health
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care professional a certain status that carries prestige, power, and the right to apply special
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knowledge and skills.
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DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 4 f f OBJ: 2 f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.4 General
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5. Society recognizes that health care providers are held to a higher standard than legislative
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mandate. These higher standards are expressed in professional codes of ethics and are
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fenforced by the legal system. f f f f
a. Both statements are true. f f f
b. Both statements are false. f f f
c. The first statement is true, the second statement is false.
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d. The first statement is false, the second statement is true.
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ANS: C f
Health care providers are held to a higher standard than can be expressed exclusively by
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legislative mandate. While it is true that these higher standards are expressed in professional
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codes of ethics, they are enforced by those within the profession rather than by the legal
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system. Important components of this enforcement include self-regulation and submission to
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peer review.
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DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 4 f f OBJ: 1 f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.4 General
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6. Which of the following is regarded as the most important aspect of the delivery of health care
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services?
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a. Technical skill f
b. Appropriate knowledge f
c. Critical judgment f
d. Caring
ANS: D f
, Although all of the choices are important, caring is regarded as the most important. Patients
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perceive this essence of caring and respond to it. Trust is the critical foundation for the
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relationship between the person seeking services and the health care provider. The caring thatthe
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patient seeks also gives the provider the greatest opportunity for professional service and
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satisfaction.
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DIF: Recall REF: p. 4 OBJ: 2 f f f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.4 General
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7. The publication “Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter” set
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out three fundamental principles, including patient welfare, patient autonomy, and the
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fprinciple of social justice, because it is thought this will reinvigorate the value of
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fprofessionalism.
a. Both the statement and reason are correct and related.
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b. Both the statement and reason are correct but NOT related.
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c. The statement is correct, but the reason is NOT.
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d. The statement is NOT correct, but the reason is correct.
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e. NEITHER the statement NOR the reason is correct. f f f f f f f
ANS: A f
The Physician Charter sets out three fundamental principles that are not new but reinforce the
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foundation of the medical profession as one of service to others. The ethical principles of the
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primacy of patient welfare (beneficence and nonmaleficence) and patient autonomy are listed
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first; the principle of social justice is the third main tenet. The desired goal was to reinvigoratethe
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value of professionalism that includes social responsibility, the ethic of care, and access tothat
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care, for all members of society.
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DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 5 f f OBJ: 3 f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.4 General
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8. Each of the following is a requirement for licensure of a dental hygienist in the United States
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EXCEPT one. Which one is the EXCEPTION?
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a.Completion of a higher education accredited program f f f f f f
b.Graduation from a college or university f f f f f
c.Passed a written national board examination f f f f f
d.Passed a clinical national board examination f f f f f
ANS: D f
There is no clinical national board examination. The dental hygiene candidate for licensure
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must pass a state or regional clinical examination. Examples of regional boards include the
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Council of Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA), the Central Regional Dental Testing Services,
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Inc. (CRDTS), the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA), the Southern
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Regional Testing Agency, Inc. (SRTA), and the Western Regional Examining Board (WERB).
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DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 5 f f OBJ: 3 f
TOP: 7.0 Professional Responsibility | 7.4 General
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9. Which of the following characteristics is used to separate the professional from the layperson?
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a. Competency
b. Quality performance f
c. A specialized body of knowledge and skill of value to society
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