“Often, ethical transgressions stem more from a lack of awareness of where these admittedly blurry lines may be crossed, and less from ill intent.” [1] This quote from a published piece on the ethical challenges we, as dentists, face in modern times is so true. And yet, thankfully, there are clear guidelines and even laws we can point to when we lose our way or when fellow dentists err.
One such example was a topic of interest at the recent state level Ethics Committee meeting in Richmond on January 19, 2018. Website accuracy, and more specifically, dentists falsely advertising that they are active members of the tripartite when in fact they have not paid dues, often times for years, has become an issue. Ethics Committee members and component and state level staff now have to actively track both those dentists who have not renewed membership, as well as all nonmember dentists, to ensure that they do not unfairly benefit from having the trademarked ADA logo, or the claim that they are member dentists of the tripartite, on their website.
On false advertising, there is no ambiguity – the line is not “blurry”. The ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct states in 5.F. ADVERTISING:
“ … no dentist shall advertise or solicit patients in any form of communication in a manner that is false or misleading in any material respect.”
And the laws from the Virginia Board Code of Virginia are clear as well. § 54.1-2706. Revocation or suspension:
“the Board may … suspend for a stated period or indefinitely, or revoke any license … for: 7. Publishing or causing to be published in any manner an advertisement relating to his professional practice which (i) is false, deceptive or misleading,…”
With this backdrop, several thoughts come to mind. First, we all have experienced oversight with bills/dues payment, and many of the dentists in violation, when contacted, rejoin. Regretfully, other dentists decide not to renew, and then remove their advertisement. Still others, albeit a small percentage, ignore their violation and then are passed to the state level Ethics Committee, and if noncompliant, are referred to the Board of Dentistry. While unfortunate, it should be heartening for the vast swath of paying members that there is a system of discipline where necessary.
The concept of the value of membership also comes to mind, which as a noun “value” is defined as the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something, and as a verb it means to estimate or assign monetary worth. Dr. Bill Bennett, our state level Ethics Committee Chairman points out that,
“The value the ADA provides to members, the profession, patient's welfare and even to non-member dentists is significant. ADA members…” are carrying the torch for this and are …hopefully recognized for that effort by a universal belief by the public that being an ADA member gives reason to expect credibility and professionalism.”
He also rightly points out that each one of us should be involved in maintaining professional standards, and that a constant grassroots effort is critical to keep our reputation high. It is critically important to remind out fellow dentist who may be going astray that perhaps of all of the things we spend money on in our business, it could be argued that tripartite membership is the most beneficial for us, and for our patients.