Mala Prohibita

Term Paper # 105100

Law
Medical and Health > Dentistry

Mala Prohibita

A discussion on mala prohibita with reference to illegal dental practice.

1,574 words () | 9 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how mala prohibita refers to acts that are considered wrong because they are in direct violation of a statute, and they are wrong on their own and do not require a criminal or guilty mindset for the establishment of guilt. In particular, the paper looks at how the taking of dental impressions or a teeth cleaning conducted late at night in the absence of any supervision and outside the confines of a dental education is a violation of the Dental Practices Act and is a mala prohibita.

From the Paper:

"Chapter 108 of the Dental Practices Act is entitled "Professional Conduct" and clearly and succinctly outlines exactly what is expected and required of dental professionals licensed by the State of Texas. The admonissions contained within this chapter are poignant, ". . .a licensed dentist shall conduct his practice on the highest plane of honesty, integrity, and fair dealing. . .in order to safeguard the dental health and welfare of the public. . ." (Professional Conduct 108-A-1). The preamble to Rule 108 is a stern warning and a introduction to an extensive list of prohibited activities that if violated place the entire profession, as well as those supervising dental students at extreme peril, and flirting with the disastrous ramifications of ethics violations and discipline by the Board of Governors."

Sample of Sources Used:

Barkdull, Thad J. "Pneumothorax During Dental Care." 2003. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice Website. August 10, 2007 <http://www.jabfm.org/cgi/content/full/16/2/165>
Basravi, Zein. "Take Back the Night Rally Focuses on Sexual Violence." The Daily Texan Online. April 19, 2004. University of Texas Austin. August 9, 2007. <http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2004/04/19/University/Take-Back.The.Night.Rally.Focuses.On.Sexual.Violence-664403.shtml>
Black, Henry Campbell. Black's Law Dictionary. St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1979.
Busch, Noel Bridget, Bell, Holly, DiNitto, Diana M., Neff, James A. "A Health Survey of Texans: A Focus on Sexual Assault." August, 2003. Institute On Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault - University of Texas at Austin.
"Texas Penal Code - Chapter 12 Punishment". State of Texas Statutes Website. August 9, 2007. <http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/PE/content/htm/pe.003.00.000012.00.htm#12.22.00>