J Forensic Odontostomatol. 2013 Oct 1;31 Suppl 1:13.
An ethical view of addiction and restorative justice.
Author information
- Private Dental Practice, Martinsburg, WV - USA.
Abstract
Addictions
and ethics are complex. As information increases about both additional
sets of ethical decisions are being raised. The underlying ethics of
addictions however is rarely explored. This paper aims to re-present a
brief interactive session offered to the IDEALS Congress in Leuven. If
addictions, on one hand, are sometimes considered "bad habits," then
ethics/morality,
on the other, can also be understood as virtues or "good habits."
Ethics as an actual intervention tool - and not limited simply to ways
of clarifying which of the traditional and newer interventions should be
used under various circumstances - may need, then, more focused
deliberations. The bases for this presentation was first introduced
through a three part series in a regular AGD Impact column - a
newsmagazine for American general dentists.1,2,3 It is my expectation
that introducing this notion to an international audience might confirm
some of Dr. Ozar's and my basic suppositions about treating patients
with addictions and, perhaps, generate new insights into the ethics of
addiction interventions - especially under the theme of restorative
justice. Key to this discussion is a notion that addiction involves
patients who are both fully capable yet, at the same time, also fully
incapable regarding a specific matter at hand. Another notion regards
our understanding of stigma and that addictions are both a personal and a
public health issue. Based on a case presentation, these notions are
further explored within the context of the individual Chairside doctor
patient relationship and demonstrate that to begin addressing this
complex issue, accurate clinical and ethical diagnoses must be
established if the dentist wishes to maintain a professional ethics
relationship with the patient and society.
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