Análisis bioético de la práctica odontológica en la atención y tratamiento de pacientes trans en Ecuador.

Abstract

Dental care for transgender individuals presents a significant challenge in the healthcare sector due to persistent social exclusion, structural discrimination, and the lack of inclusive clinical protocols. Objective: To analyze the bioethical influence of dental practice on the care and treatment of transgender patients in Ecuador. Method: A quantitative, descriptive-correlational approach was applied. The population of study included 101 dentists and 85 transgender patients. Two surveys have been designed: first, these were given to dentists to assess the level of compliance with bioethical principles as applied by the professionals, and second were administered to transgender people to measure the social and professional ethical challenges they face and their level of satisfaction. Results: Of the 101 dentists, 58% were women and 42% were men, working in the private sector (65.3%). The level of compliance with ethical principles had a mean of 47.19 (SD: 5.35), with a median and mode of 50.00. Regarding the variable "ethical difficulties," the mean was 17.41 (SD: 8.04), with a median of 15.00 and a mode of 10.00. Among the trans patients (n = 85), 58.8% identified as trans women, 22.4% as another gender, and 9.4% as trans men. The perceived social and professional ethical challenges showed a mean of 26.61 (SD = 13.32). The degree of satisfaction showed a mean of 30.56 (SD: 12.61). Conclusion: The findings showed a significant inverse association between the application of bioethical principles and the social and professional ethical challenges perceived by trans people.