Chapter VII: Ethics

Subject to the provisions of Article L. 1111-7 and for legitimate reasons which the dental surgeon assesses according to his conscience, a patient may be kept in ignorance of a serious diagnosis or prognosis. A fatal prognosis should only be revealed to the patient with the greatest circumspection, but the patient’s next of kin should generally be informed, unless the patient has previously forbidden this disclosure or designated the third…

I. – The dental surgeon must always determine the amount of his fees with tact and moderation. The factors to be taken into account are, independently of the importance and difficulty of the treatment, the material situation of the patient, the reputation of the practitioner and the particular circumstances. Dental surgeons are free to provide treatment free of charge. However, he is prohibited from lowering his fees in order to…

Separate fees are payable for consultations between the treating dental surgeon and a doctor or another dental surgeon.

The presence of the attending dental surgeon at a surgical operation entitles him to separate fees, but only if this presence has been requested or accepted by the patient or his family.

Any sharing of fees between dentists and practitioners of any medical discipline is strictly forbidden. Each practitioner must charge his or her own personal fees. The acceptance, solicitation or offer of a fee-splitting arrangement, even if unfulfilled, constitutes serious professional misconduct. The distribution of dividends between members of a partnership does not constitute prohibited fee-splitting.

The choice of assistants, operating assistants or anaesthetists cannot be imposed on the attending dental surgeon. Each of the doctors or dental surgeons working in this capacity must submit their fees directly.