Social sciences research: ethical and policy implications

Abstract

Ethical issues are raised about the conduct of social research in the dental field particularly with respect to the use of survey methodology and aggregated data. Problems associated with respondent identifiers, open-ended and probing questioning, privacy of subject-matter, community contamination and burden, group stereotyping, knowledge of law violations, mis-use of data banks, re-use of data, effects of disclosure, and referral for treatment are discussed. The natural and the contrived social experiments are reviewed as well as the issue of needed research on the effects of regulation on science and on the protection of privacy.