Department of Dental Hygiene, Dongnam Health University
Correspondence to Sun-Mi Lee, Department of Dental Hygiene, Dongnam Health University, 50 Cheoncheon-ro 74-gil, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Tel: +82-31-249-6505, Fax: +82-31-249-6500, E-mail: lsm712002@dongnam.ac.kr
Volume 26, Number 2, Pages 139–48, April 2026.
J Korean Soc Dent Hyg 2026;26(2):139–48. https://doi.org/10.13065/jksdh.2026.26.2.1
Received on January 12, 2026, Revised on February 18, 2026, Accepted on April 08, 2026, Published on April 30, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 Journal of Korean Society of Dental Hygiene.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).
Objectives: This study compared the codes of ethics for dental hygienists in the United States (2024), United Kingdom (2014), Canada (2024), Korea (2004), and the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (2023), focusing on the distribution of autonomy (A) and social responsibility (S). Methods: A comparative content analysis was conducted using the most recent officially published versions available on the websites of each issuing body’s website as of January 2025, verified by the stated revision year. Independent ethical items were coded into A or S categories according to predefined operational criteria. A total of 80 ethical items were identified and analyzed based on their frequencies and proportions. Results: The United States(12 A, 11 S; A:S = 1.1:1) and the United Kingdom(4 A, 5 S; 0.8:1) showed relatively balanced distributions. Canada(9 A, 21 S; 0.4:1), IFDH (3 A, 8 S; 0.4:1), and Korea(2 A, 5 S; 0.4:1) demonstrated social responsibility–dominant patterns. Conclusions: The findings indicate variations in value distribution and structural composition among national and international codes, providing empirical evidence for further discussion on ethical frameworks in dental hygiene.
Codes of ethics, Dental hygienists, Licensure, Personal autonomy, Social responsibility