Systematic review shows ethical care enhances oral health-related quality of life in adult dental patients, highlighting the need to embed deontological standards into clinical practice.
Background: Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is increasingly recognized as a key patient-centered outcome in dentistry. Ethical principles may significantly influence these outcomes; however, their relationship remains insufficiently synthesized. Objective: To systematically evaluate the impact of deontological principles on OHRQoL in adult dental patients. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies published between 2000 and 2025. Inclusion criteria comprised adult populations, studies assessing OHRQoL (OHIP, GOHAI), and studies reporting ethical dimensions in dental care. Results: Forty-two studies were included. Ethical dimensions such as informed consent, shared decision-making, communication quality, and equitable access were consistently associated with improved OHRQoL outcomes. Conclusions: Ethical dental practice is a significant determinant of patient-reported outcomes and should be integrated into standard clinical protocols.
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Stan et al. (2026) studied this question.
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