Q: Some of my colleagues are using social media platforms like TikTok to create short
videos to appeal to a larger patient population, to build their practice bases, and
to educate patients. Some of these videos can be shared in the form of duets whereby
other dentists can opine on the post. So, if 1 dentist posts a video of their treatments,
a second dentist can repost the video and comment if this feature is enabled by the
content creator, giving their “professional” opinion, without the full knowledge of
the patient’s dental history, consent, or specific case details. These “TikTok Dentists”
are providing generalized treatment recommendations and have no specifics of the patient
in question. I do not want to be left behind, but I wonder what the ethical considerations
of this social media platform are in the world of modern dentistry.
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Reference
Hermann J. How TikTok is rewriting the world. New York Times. March 10, 2019. Accessed September 8, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/10/style/what-is-tik-tok.html
American Dental Association principles of ethics and code of professional conduct, with official advisory opinions revised to November 2020.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 42 USC § 201 et seq. (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2) (1996).
TikTok and public health: a proposed research agenda.
BMJ Global Health. 2021; 6e007648
Biography
Dr. Nichols practices general dentistry in Lubbock, TX, and is a member of the American Dental Association Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs.
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: October 08, 2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected Proof
Footnotes
Disclosure. Dr. Nichols did not report any disclosures.
Ethical Moment is prepared by individual members of the American Dental Association Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs (CEBJA) or guests of CEBJA, in cooperation with The Journal of the American Dental Association. Its purpose is to promote awareness of the American Dental Association Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct. Readers are invited to submit questions to CEBJA at 211 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, email ethics@ada.org .
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the American Dental Association Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs or official policy of the ADA.
Identification
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.08.010
Copyright
© 2022 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.
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