Can a dentist date his/her patient?

While a dentist is not a medical doctor, they are bound by the similar ethics. Any time that a person in a position of authority or a position in which they are entrusted with someone’s care they have to be very careful not to breach any boundaries that might interfere with the trust of the patient. A dentist cares for the oral health of their patient, and while cleaning a person’s teeth and performing other dental care does not place the patient in danger, dentists should guard against having personal relationships of this nature with their patients.


There is no hard and fast rule against a dentist dating their patients, but it does walk a few ethical boundary lines. For one, if the relationship does not last, it places the medical professional in a very awkward position. Then, when a medical professional deals with a patient by having a relationship of a sexual nature, then they open themselves up to range of possibilities, namely being accused of harassment. While there is no rule against it, dentists should be careful when dealing with their patients, and typically should keep a professional boundary between themselves and the person they help.