When diagnosis is not enough: A call for ethics in care

Abstract

This essay addresses dental bioethics as the inescapable foundation of professional practice, moving beyond mere technical competence. The aim is to analyze the structural tension in contemporary dentistry when the focus is on procedural diagnosis, overshadowing the patient's subjective experience. Through a critical review of bioethical principles and recent literature, incorporating concepts of professionalization and epistemic burdens. It is argued that humanized care requires an ethical-deliberative dialogue that harmonizes evidence with the individual's biography. The counterargument regarding the "priority of the epistemic" is introduced, suggesting that moral obligations depend on prior knowledge. A model is proposed where the dentist-patient relationship is an expert moral encounter. Bioethics, understood as the "heart" of the profession, guarantees co-responsible and respectful decisions, requiring specialized training that transcends voluntarism.