Tackling Socially Determined Dental Inequalities: Ethical Aspects of Childsmile, the National Child Oral Health Demonstration Programme in Scotland
Creator
Shaw, David
Macpherson, Lorna
Conway, David
Bibliographic Citation
Bioethics 2009 February; 23(2): 131-139
Abstract
Many ethical issues are posed by public health interventions. Although abstract theorizing about these issues can be useful, it is the application of ethical theory to real cases which will ultimately be of benefit in decision-making. To this end, this paper will analyse the ethical issues involved in Childsmile, a national oral health demonstration programme in Scotland that aims to improve the oral health of the nation's children and reduce dental inequalities through a combination of targeted and universal interventions. With Scotland's level of dental caries among the worst in Europe, Childsmile represents one of the largest programmes of work aimed at combating oral health inequalities in the UK. The areas of ethical interest include several contrasting themes: reducing health inequalities and improving health; universal and targeted interventions; political values and evidence base; prevention and treatment; and underlying all of these, justice and utility.
Date
2009-02Collections
Metadata
Show full item recordRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Tackling Health Inequalities: Status Report on the Programme for Action
Unknown author (Great Britain. Department of Health, 2005-08-11)