Ethics clubs spreading at U.S. dental schools

Ethics clubs are becoming popular at U.S. dental schools, according to an ADA News report.

The clubs "are the driving force behind a resurgence in ethics and professionalism at several U.S. dental schools," the report said.

It cited the example of the Student Professionalism and Ethics Club created by students at the University of Southern California (USC), which it said has spread to 11 other schools in the U.S.

"Students recognize that one incident or individual can ruin the reputations of all of them," Alvin Rosenblum, D.D.S., a USC professor of clinical dentistry, told ADA News.

When a group of students approached Dr. Rosenblum in 2007 with concerns about their peers' ethics, he helped them organize the club. The concerns have not led the university to discipline any students or faculty; the goal is simply to heighten awareness, according to the report.