Knowledge Of Professional Ethics In Dentistry Among Dental Students – A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: In this modern era, there has been mounting public concern regarding the ethical conduct of healthcare professionals. Dental ethics is a moral responsibility that incorporates professional conduct and judgment imposed by the members of dental profession. It is necessary for the dental students to become well equipped to resolve ethical dilemmas. The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge of dental students about professional ethics in dentistry. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted among 425 dental students in Ghaziabad. The knowledge of dental students about professional ethics in dentistry was assessed using Chi square analysis and p value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 425 dental students, 401 completed the entire questionnaire. The response rate is 94.35%. Most of the dental students were aware about the Hippocratic Oath while only a minor percentage had knowledge about Nuremburg code, ICMR guidelines and Helsinki declaration. A higher percentage of dental students felt that knowledge of ethics is moderately important for them in their work but only a minor population attended training in ethics. Conclusion: Dental students in this study have less knowledge of healthcare ethics. This can result in the lack of their sensitivity to resolve the ethical dilemmas they encounter. So, it is essential to improve the knowledge and awareness regarding ethical aspects among dental students. Keywords: Dentistry, Ethics, Knowledge, Students