Problem: DENTIST'S INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONDUCT
Revocation of a dentist's license on charges of professional misconduct was properly ordered in Melone v. State Education Department 6 on the basis of substantial evidence that while acting in a professional capacity the dentist had engaged in physical and sexual contact with five different male patients within a 3-year period. Considering the dentist's responsible position, the extended time period during which the sexual contacts occurred, the age and impressionable nature of the victims (7 to 15 years of age), and the possibility of lasting effects on the victims, the penalty was not shocking to the court's sense of fairness.
Ethical and Legal Issues
1. Describe the ethical and legal issues of this case.
2. Describe what procedures could be implemented in a dentist's office to help reduce the likelihood of sexual abuses.