Justice in Oral Health Care: Ethical and Educational PerspectivesJos V. M. Welie Oral health is an intrinsic part of overall health. The mouth is part of the digestive and respiratory systems; it is essential to spoken communication and facial expression; in fact, toothaches are among the most severe and hence debilitating kinds of pain that a person can suffer. The economic cost of dental disease is staggering, equaling an annual loss of some 20 million days of work in the US alone. But far more disastrous is the personal cost for those suffering from these conditions. More than 100 million US citizens lack dental insurance. There is widespread consensus that the resulting disparities are most unfortunate. But are they also unfair? The dental profession and society at large appear much less eager to confirm the unfairness of this situation. After all, with unfairness comes the ethical obligation to attempt rectification of the situation. It is one thing to praise charitable voluntarism; it is quite another to insist on distributive justice. This book makes the case for justice in oral health. Renowned dental ethicists discuss various theoretical perspectives; national and international policy experts propose practical changes; and experienced dental educators outline innovative teaching modes. This book is not just food for thought; it is an invitation to critical discussion and creative planning. |
Contents
Are oral health disparities merely unfortunate or also unfair? | 7 |
Sefik Görkey | 10 |
Shafik Dharamsi | 61 |
Copyright | |
12 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
academic dental institutions access to oral access verified activities ADEA adults American Dental Association basic oral health benefits Boorse Canadian Dental Association Center clinical Code of Ethics community-based definition of health dental care dental caries dental hygienists dental insurance dental profession dental school dental services dental students dentistry dentists develop distributive justice economic example faculty groups Health and Human health care system health professions Health Service healthcare Human Services important income issues Journal of Dental Medicine Mexican American moral competencies National Native American needs Non-Hispanic white oral cancer oral disease oral health care oral health disparities oral health status Pareto optimal patients percent person poor population practice principle problems programs public health Rawls Report requires role Rule & Bebeau service-learning social justice social responsibility society Surgeon theories of justice tion treatment underserved University Press values virtue ethics vulnerable well-being workforce