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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · European Journal of General Dentistry 2012; 1(01): 20-23
DOI: 10.4103/2278-9626.101350
Original Article

The orthodontist′s responsibility and the bioethical aspects in the current jurisprudence

Authors

  • Ademir Franco

    Department of Odontology, School of Health and Biosciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil

  • Ali Alqerban

    1   Department of Oral Health Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

  • Antonio A. S. de Lima

    2   Department of Stomatology, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil

  • Orlando M. Tanaka

    Department of Orthodontics, School of Health and Biosciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil

  • Beatriz H. S. França

    4   Department of Legal Odontology, School of Health and Biosciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil
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Abstract

Context: The orthodontists usually have to manage patient′s expectations and treatment plans at the same time. Consequently, the civil responsibility and the bioethics involved on orthodontic routine are matters of relevance. Therefore, the importance of adequate conducts is addressed in this research. Aim: The present aim is to analyze the tendency of the courts judging the orthodontists′ responsibility and to observe the bioethical aspects on the current jurisprudence. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 108 lawsuits related to the orthodontist′s civil responsibility, dated from 2003 to 2009. The qualitative data were obtained by the Bardin′s method for detailed reading. The quantitative collection was performed by observing statistical distribution of the following variables: (1) reason of the complaint against the orthodontist, (2) type of obligation designated to the professional, (3) presence of expert′s examination, and (4) jury decision. The correlations between the jury decision and the other variables were verified by applying the Chi-square test. Results: The main reason of the complaints against the orthodontist was the personal dissatisfaction (32%). Subjective and objective obligations had pair incidence (26% and 27%, respectively). The experts′ examination was present in 63, 89%, of the cases, and the jury decision acquitted 57, 78%, of the orthodontists. The passages involving bioethical principles supported properly the qualitative approach. Conclusion: The orthodontists show deviations from the correct daily attitudes. In order to avoid further conflicts, more attention must be given to the principles of bioethics.

Keywords

Bioethics - civil responsibility - lawsuits - orthodontics


Publication History

Article published online:
01 November 2021

© 2012. European Journal of General Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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