Developing an Ethical Framework for Short-Term International Dental and Medical Activities

Published in the Journal of the American College of Dentists, the authors discuss how the popularity of volunteering to provide charity health care in third-world countries has increased dramatically in recent years. While there are advantages to both those being helped and to volunteers, there are also ethical issues that need to be addressed. A framework for analyzing the ethical impact of such service is presented which continues 27 principles that should be addressed.