Introduction: There has been no structured integration of ethical issues into the dental curriculum and currently no data for certain ethics modules exists in Germany. The study aimed at evaluating the attitudes to ethical issues that affect students at the Dental School in Kiel during patient treatment.
Material and methods: In the summer of 2017, students were recruited from the 6th and 10th semesters. A qualitative study design with interviews was chosen. The dimensions included, for example, experience with ethical issues, definitions and expectations of teaching content and methods. A qualitative content analysis was performed.
Results: Twelve and eleven students from semesters (32% each) participated. No student was able to name an ethical question based on his own experience (private/study). The need to address ethical issues was justified solely by personal treatment experiences.
Discussion: The study revealed a lack of basic ethical knowledge resulting in a lack of ability to deal with ethical issues. Instead, participants described experiences of psychological pressure, feelings of helplessness.
Conclusion: The results suggest that ethical-theoretical foundations should be taught before the beginning of patient treatment. A didactic combination with clinical facts and case vignettes is recommended.
Keywords: awareness; clinical experience; dental education; ethic; qualitative study.
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