Hippocrates and the Oath
- Alex Gomes
- Jul 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 25
Have you ever stopped to think about why we talk so much about ethics in dentistry? Long before the profession existed as we know it today, one name already stood out for prioritizing patient care above all: Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine.” But what does a Greek physician from 2,500 years ago have to do with your day-to-day life in the clinic?
Ethics Started There
Hippocrates was the first to argue that medicine should be based on observation, study, and commitment to the patient, not on magical beliefs or arbitrary decisions. He believed that health professionals have a duty to heal — or at least to relieve — but never to cause harm.
This thinking was revolutionary. It paved the way for the creation of scientific medicine and, later, dentistry as a science.
The Oath That Changed Everything
The famous Hippocratic Oath contains principles that remain alive in modern clinical practice. Here are a few:
“Do no harm” — every procedure must be done with safety and responsibility.
“Maintain confidentiality” — respecting the patient begins with privacy.
“Respect my teachers and teach others” — knowledge is built with humility and collaboration.
In dentistry, these values are more than ideals: they are essential to daily practice. From the way we explain a diagnosis to the way we handle patient data, ethics is everywhere.
And Today?
Even with so much technology and progress, ethics never go out of style. It appears, for example, when we decide whether a treatment is truly necessary, when we respect the patient’s time and limitations, or when we protect their information responsibly.
The question I leave for you to reflect on is:
🪥 Would you make the same decisions if it were your relative sitting in that dental chair?
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