ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ethical dilemmas raised by medical and dental research, as well as describing how these dilemmas have been addressed through codes of practice and policy. Research ethics can be considered as 'the more or less deliberate and systematic consideration of moral problems arising in connection with the conduct and consequences of scientific research'. Some key ethical principles are identified which form the basis of the ethical considerations raised by medical and dental research. Medical or healthcare research may of course be conducted both on patients and on healthy people. The pioneering work of dental and medical researchers, both clinical and non-clinical, provides the evidence base for clinicians, in collaboration with their patients, to choose the most beneficial and effective form of care for the patient's condition. The chapter discusses codes of practice for researchers. It concludes with the implementation of codes of practice through research ethics committees.
