ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the range of bioethical dilemmas confronted by Turkish dentists and to suggest educational and policy approaches for dealing with the full range of these bioethical problems. The survey instrument was a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions designed to gain a broader insight into what specific bioethical dilemmas have most frequently been faced by Turkish dentists in their day-to-day practice. One hundred and ninety one dentists working at different hospitals responded the questionnaire. All dentists declared that they encountered bioethical dilemmas in their daily practice. Among all respondents, the most powerful factors influencing their approaches to bioethical issues were “conflicting values” followed by “patients’ desires”. To our knowledge there has yet been no study identifying the type of bioethical problems confronted by the Turkish dentists or the frequency of the dilemmas confronted. This lack of research has produced a knowledge gap concerning medicine providers in the healthcare system who readily identify and deal with bioethical dilemmas. This study attempted to help narrow this knowledge gap and provide educators with some initial findings about which bioethical dilemmas are faced.

Keywords: Bioethical dilemmas, Turkish dentists