“In my mouth” : Part 11 : Ethical concerns regarding dental over-treatment and under-treatment

Abstract

Dental practitioners have been accused of over-treating, failing to treat, or delaying treatment. However, deciding precisely on what constitutes each is not easy or clear cut, and it is often hard to draw a distinct line between necessary treatment and over- or under-servicing. Every dentist will have a different opinion depending on his/ her training, clinical perspective, philosophy towards intervention, facilities and personal viewpoints.1,2 Much like beauty, this obscurity makes each difficult to define, yet “we all know it when we see it”.