Ethics and Law in Dental Hygiene 4th Edition (Minihan-Anderson), All
Chapters Exam Questions and ANSWERs
1. What is the primary focus of dental ethics?
A) Following state dental practice acts precisely
B) Maximizing profit for the dental practice
C) Making judgments about what is right and good in patient care
D) Avoiding legal lawsuits
ANSWER: C) Making judgments about what is right and good in patient care
2. The principle of justice in healthcare ethics primarily deals with:
A) Being fair and treating patients equally
B) Telling the truth to patients
C) Keeping patient information private
D) Doing what is best for the patient
ANSWER: A) Being fair and treating patients equally
3. Which of the following is an example of veracity?
A) A dental hygienist provides all necessary treatment options, including those not covered by insurance.
B) A dental hygienist respects a patient's decision to refuse radiographic images.
C) A dental hygienist keeps a patient's HIV status confidential.
D) A dental hygienist assigns appointments based on the severity of patient needs.
ANSWER: A) A dental hygienist provides all necessary treatment options, including those not covered by
insurance.
4. The legal document that grants a dental hygienist the authority to practice is the:
A) Dental Hygiene National Board Certificate
B) State Dental Practice Act
C) American Dental Hygienists' Association Code of Ethics
,D) Employment contract with the dentist
ANSWER: B) State Dental Practice Act
5. Informed consent is primarily based on the ethical principle of:
A) Beneficence
B) Nonmaleficence
C) Autonomy
D) Justice
ANSWER: C) Autonomy
6. A patient expresses fear about the pain associated with scaling and root planing. The hygienist assures
the patient they will use a local anesthetic to manage discomfort. This is an example of:
A) Paternalism
B) Assent
C) Standard of Care
D) Fidelity
ANSWER: D) Fidelity
7. Which term describes a situation where two or more ethical principles are in conflict?
A) Ethical Dilemma
B) Moral Negligence
C) Standard of Care
D) Jurisprudence
ANSWER: A) Ethical Dilemma
8. The "standard of care" in dentistry is legally defined as the level of care that a:
A) Reasonable and prudent dentist would provide under similar circumstances
B) New dental graduate would provide
C) Specialist in periodontics would provide
,D) Patient expects to receive
ANSWER: A) Reasonable and prudent dentist would provide under similar circumstances
9. A dental hygienist who fails to diagnose periodontitis in a patient with obvious clinical attachment loss
could be found liable for:
A) Battery
B) Breach of confidentiality
C) Negligence
D) Abandonment
ANSWER: C) Negligence
10. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that primarily
governs:
A) Dental insurance reimbursement rates
B) The privacy and security of patient health information
C) Requirements for informed consent
D) Scope of practice for dental hygienists
ANSWER: B) The privacy and security of patient health information
11. Providing dental hygiene care without a patient's consent constitutes:
A) Negligence
B) Battery
C) Breach of contract
D) Malpractice
ANSWER: B) Battery
12. The ethical principle of "first, do no harm" is known as:
A) Beneficence
B) Nonmaleficence
, C) Autonomy
D) Veracity
ANSWER: B) Nonmaleficence
13. A dental hygienist who discloses a patient's treatment plan to a family member without the patient's
permission has violated the principle of:
A) Justice
B) Confidentiality
C) Veracity
D) Fidelity
ANSWER: B) Confidentiality
14. Which document serves as a professional moral compass for dental hygienists?
A) The State Dental Practice Act
B) The ADHA Standards for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice
C) The ADHA Code of Ethics
D) The office policy and procedure manual
ANSWER: C) The ADHA Code of Ethics
15. Paternalism in healthcare occurs when a provider:
A) Makes decisions for a patient without their consent, believing it is in their best interest
B) Allows the patient to make all decisions autonomously
C) Refers the patient to a specialist
D) Bills the patient's insurance company directly
ANSWER: A) Makes decisions for a patient without their consent, believing it is in their best interest
16. A patient with a highly infectious disease requests an appointment. The ethical course of action is to:
A) Refuse to treat the patient to protect staff and other patients
B) Schedule the patient at the end of the day and use enhanced infection control protocols
Chapters Exam Questions and ANSWERs
1. What is the primary focus of dental ethics?
A) Following state dental practice acts precisely
B) Maximizing profit for the dental practice
C) Making judgments about what is right and good in patient care
D) Avoiding legal lawsuits
ANSWER: C) Making judgments about what is right and good in patient care
2. The principle of justice in healthcare ethics primarily deals with:
A) Being fair and treating patients equally
B) Telling the truth to patients
C) Keeping patient information private
D) Doing what is best for the patient
ANSWER: A) Being fair and treating patients equally
3. Which of the following is an example of veracity?
A) A dental hygienist provides all necessary treatment options, including those not covered by insurance.
B) A dental hygienist respects a patient's decision to refuse radiographic images.
C) A dental hygienist keeps a patient's HIV status confidential.
D) A dental hygienist assigns appointments based on the severity of patient needs.
ANSWER: A) A dental hygienist provides all necessary treatment options, including those not covered by
insurance.
4. The legal document that grants a dental hygienist the authority to practice is the:
A) Dental Hygiene National Board Certificate
B) State Dental Practice Act
C) American Dental Hygienists' Association Code of Ethics
,D) Employment contract with the dentist
ANSWER: B) State Dental Practice Act
5. Informed consent is primarily based on the ethical principle of:
A) Beneficence
B) Nonmaleficence
C) Autonomy
D) Justice
ANSWER: C) Autonomy
6. A patient expresses fear about the pain associated with scaling and root planing. The hygienist assures
the patient they will use a local anesthetic to manage discomfort. This is an example of:
A) Paternalism
B) Assent
C) Standard of Care
D) Fidelity
ANSWER: D) Fidelity
7. Which term describes a situation where two or more ethical principles are in conflict?
A) Ethical Dilemma
B) Moral Negligence
C) Standard of Care
D) Jurisprudence
ANSWER: A) Ethical Dilemma
8. The "standard of care" in dentistry is legally defined as the level of care that a:
A) Reasonable and prudent dentist would provide under similar circumstances
B) New dental graduate would provide
C) Specialist in periodontics would provide
,D) Patient expects to receive
ANSWER: A) Reasonable and prudent dentist would provide under similar circumstances
9. A dental hygienist who fails to diagnose periodontitis in a patient with obvious clinical attachment loss
could be found liable for:
A) Battery
B) Breach of confidentiality
C) Negligence
D) Abandonment
ANSWER: C) Negligence
10. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that primarily
governs:
A) Dental insurance reimbursement rates
B) The privacy and security of patient health information
C) Requirements for informed consent
D) Scope of practice for dental hygienists
ANSWER: B) The privacy and security of patient health information
11. Providing dental hygiene care without a patient's consent constitutes:
A) Negligence
B) Battery
C) Breach of contract
D) Malpractice
ANSWER: B) Battery
12. The ethical principle of "first, do no harm" is known as:
A) Beneficence
B) Nonmaleficence
, C) Autonomy
D) Veracity
ANSWER: B) Nonmaleficence
13. A dental hygienist who discloses a patient's treatment plan to a family member without the patient's
permission has violated the principle of:
A) Justice
B) Confidentiality
C) Veracity
D) Fidelity
ANSWER: B) Confidentiality
14. Which document serves as a professional moral compass for dental hygienists?
A) The State Dental Practice Act
B) The ADHA Standards for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice
C) The ADHA Code of Ethics
D) The office policy and procedure manual
ANSWER: C) The ADHA Code of Ethics
15. Paternalism in healthcare occurs when a provider:
A) Makes decisions for a patient without their consent, believing it is in their best interest
B) Allows the patient to make all decisions autonomously
C) Refers the patient to a specialist
D) Bills the patient's insurance company directly
ANSWER: A) Makes decisions for a patient without their consent, believing it is in their best interest
16. A patient with a highly infectious disease requests an appointment. The ethical course of action is to:
A) Refuse to treat the patient to protect staff and other patients
B) Schedule the patient at the end of the day and use enhanced infection control protocols
