Dental Assisting, Law, Ethics, and Practice Review

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards derived from the lecture material covering dental law, ethics, expanded functions, clinical specialties, and office administration.

Informed Consent

Permission for a procedure to be performed, which is granted by a patient after having been informed about the procedure's details.

Duty of Care

The legal obligation owed by a dentist to a patient, which includes using reasonable judgment.

Child Abuse Injury Location Percentage

About 75% of child abuse injuries involve the head, neck, and mouth area.

Abandonment

A legal charge that could occur if a dentist prepares a tooth for a crown and then does not deliver and cement the crown.

Pediatric Dentistry

The dental specialty that treats children from birth up to adolescence.

Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)

A professional credential earned by passing the national Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) examination.

Patient Dental Records Ownership

The original dental records of a patient are legally owned by the dentist.

Implied Consent

Consent that is given when the patient agrees to treatment.

Indicators of Dental Neglect or Abuse

Clinical signs including untreated rampant caries, untreated trauma affecting the orofacial region, and injury to the labial frenum.

Informed Patient Consent Concept

The requirement that the dentist must give the patient enough information about his or her condition and all available treatment options.

Sensitivity to Patient Needs

An important personal quality of the dental assistant demonstrating understanding and care toward patient concerns.

Chart Entry Correction Method

The correct standard for altering a record by drawing a single line through the original entry so that it can still be read.

Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)

The organization that issues the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) credential.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects the confidentiality and privacy of patient health information.

Patient Referral

The practice of directing a patient to a specialist when the case is unusual and conditions are beyond the dentist's scope of expertise.

Expanded-Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA)

A dental assistant who has received additional training and is legally allowed to provide certain intraoral patient care procedures.

Legal and Ethical Obligation of Confidentiality

Respecting a patient's confidentiality, which forms both a legal and an ethical obligation for dental staff.

Detail Person

A representative who is most likely to be helpful if the assistant is having difficulty with a particular dental material, such as a cement or bonding agent.

Reciprocity

A form of licensure that allows a dentist who is licensed in one state a license to practice in another state without further examination or requirements.

Dental Practice Act

The state or provincial regulations according to which the duties of an expanded-functions dental assistant (EFDA) vary.

Periodontics

The dental specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of oral tissues that support and surround the teeth.

State Board of Dentistry

The state organization that issues the license for a dentist to practice dentistry.

Radiographic Image Exposure and Processing

A standard dental assisting function that is not considered an expanded function.

Dental Assistant Employment Scope

Career opportunities for dental assistants including dental product sales, teaching dental assisting, and processing insurance claims, but excluding ownership of a dental practice.

Autonomy

A person's freedom to think, judge, and act independently without undue influence.

Continuing Education (CE) Ethical Obligation

The ethical obligation of dental assistants to update their knowledge and skills throughout their professional career.

Notification of Termination

A formal notice that a dentist must send to a patient to avoid a patient claim of abandonment when discontinuing care.

Rapport and Open Communication

The primary practice by which legal problems with patients are best avoided.

Informed Consent Forms Function

Documentation that greatly increases the dentist's chance of defense against allegations from a patient that he or she was not fully informed about a procedure.

Business Assistant

The dental office team member generally responsible for managing financial arrangements.

Expressed Contract for a Minor

A contract for emergency treatment of a 16-year-old child that can legally be provided by the child's parent.