Is it ethical for dentists to wire jaws for weight loss?
Date
2021
Authors
Bhattay-Loonat, Safiyya
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Abstract
Jaw wiring is traditionally used to treat fractures of the jaws but when jaw wiring is
used for weight loss, it becomes an ethically questionable treatment modality. The
ethics of jaw wiring for weight loss is normatively analysed using the philosophical
theories of utilitarianism, principlism and deontology. Using utilitarianism, it is argued
that the risks of jaw wiring for weight loss outweighs the benefits, concluding that it is
unethical to wire jaws for weight loss. The principles of autonomy, beneficence, non maleficence, and justice are applied to the ethical dilemma of jaw wiring for weight
loss. It is argued that autonomy is not absolute and that the principles of non maleficence, beneficence and justice trump the patient’s autonomous request when
the request is not in the patient’s best interest. The scope of dental practice is critically
analysed using the theory of deontology and it is argued that jaw wiring for weight loss
falls out of the scope of dental practice when the dentist independently wires jaws for
weight loss
Description
A research report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Science in Medicine (Bioethics and Health Law) to the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021