It is interesting to read the many comments on this subject. It has obviously hit a nerve so to speak. The majority of the comments opposed to adoption of this Code seem to focus on the Virginia Board of dentistry writing its own Code. This simply will never happen. So are we better to keep going down the road of having no guideliens for Ethical Behavior in dentitry? I think not! Ethics is the backbone of good and professional dental care, it protects the public from fraud and deceipt. How can any profession oject to havving a standard code of ethics to refer to and to follow? Seems to me that a professional wants to follow ethical behavior. If the fear is the "ever changing nature" of the ADA Code, then adopt the Code as of a specific date. Then the "Code" in Virginia is set and defined until the Board decides to change it. If the fear is adopting somoeone else's Code, then adopt by refernce, any Code of ethics adopted by a nationally recognized dental organization such as the ADA. There are, to the best of my knowledge only a few others, none of which are as complete as the ADA's Code. The ADA Code has stood the test of time- it will be celbrating it's 150th year of existence next year. Are ethics in Virginia drastically (or any) different than they are around this great contry of ours? 

The Board of dentistry really needs to do something to gve dentists in Virgonia some definite guideleines to follow. The ADA Code already exists. Why reinvent the wheel? It's already done. I would hope that the Board never finds a reason to find fault of any dentist in Virginia for non-ethical behavior. But how does a dentist know if there are no guidleines? And how does the Board determine a violation of ethical behavior if there are no guidleines? 

Let's adopt this Code for the safety and reassurance of the public we serve- the citizens of the Commowealth.