Elsevier

Dental Abstracts

Volume 59, Issue 2, March–April 2014, Pages e39-e40
Dental Abstracts

Ethical Practice
Ethical challenges

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.denabs.2013.11.013Get rights and content

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Background

The internet is having a profound impact on dental marketing. What should dentists do about the new digital and social media, and what ethical and practical implications are involved? The impact of digital technology on the practice of dentistry from an ethical perspective was explored, including relevant legal issues and what constitutes the best current and future uses of digital communication.

Challenges

Many challenges face dentists seeking to maximize their practices through the use of digital communication and social media. Among them are the influence of marketers, online reviews, websites, Facebook, coupon brokers, e-mail or texts with patients, and the role of state dental boards.

Marketers have a different mentality and different set of ethics than health care professionals. Marketers are focused on increasing the profits for businesses, and they communicate in different ways to meet this

Discussion

The exciting possibilities offered by electronic and social media are offset by many dangers to the integrity of a dental practice. It is vital that dental practices not rush into this arena without being aware of the challenges.

Clinical Significance

It is impossible to ignore social media or marketing opportunities offered by electronic media. Patients and practitioners can be well-served by these new methods of communication. However, dentists still have a professional responsibility to manage

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Peltier B, Curley A: The ethics of social media in dental practice: Challenges. Calif Dent Assoc J 41:499-506, 2013

Reprints available from B Peltier; e-mail: bpeltier@pacific edu

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