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Ethics and Ethical Standards for Dentists in Saudi Arabia
Dental ethics course for dentists in Saudi Arabia covering consent for treatment plans, cosmetic work, advertising, infection control, records and insurance claims. Ends with a certificate and reflective account.
- 3hours of learning
- 10sections
- 20final questions
- 80%pass mark
- Online and self-paced, on any device
- Reflective account template
- Knowledge checks in every section
- Certificate the day you pass
Which of these is your situation?
- Treatment plan or fee disputeA patient says the plan, the cost or the risks were not explained before work began.
- Cosmetic resultVeneers, crowns or aligners on healthy teeth, or a patient unhappy with how a smile turned out.
- Advert or social media postA title, a reel, a before-and-after image or a clinic campaign has been questioned or reported.
- Infection control worryInstruments, handpieces, single-use items or sharps are being handled in a way you doubt.
- Records or radiographsAn entry is thin, a note was added late, or images are being withheld or shared carelessly.
- Referral, laboratory or colleagueA case is beyond your scope, a laboratory offers a rebate, or you have seen a colleague's poor work.
- Owner targets or insurance claimA manager sets revenue goals, or a claim description does not match what was done.
- Committee or panelYour case has reached the Violations Committee or the Sharia Health Panel.
- Renewal CPDNo concern: you want structured dental ethics learning before SCFHS re-registration.
At a glance
- Who it is for
- General dentists and specialists registered with SCFHS and licensed by MOH, Saudi and expatriate, in government centres, hospital departments, polyclinics and private clinics
- Laws and codes
- Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions (M/59, 1426H) and its Executive Regulations; SCFHS Code of Ethics; MOH Saudi Guidelines for Informed Consent (2019); MOH Manual of Infection Prevention and Control in Dental Settings (2018); Personal Data Protection Law
- Complaint routes covered
- 937 and facility patient relations, formal claims under Article 40, the Violations Committee, the Sharia Health Panel and appeal to the Board of Grievances
- Format
- Online and self-paced in 10 sections, with dental cases set in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Abha and other cities
- Assessment
- A knowledge check after each section and a 20-question scenario final assessment; pass mark 80%
- Certificate
- Dated certificate of completion showing the course title, learning hours and a unique certificate ID
- Best taken with
- Professionalism and Professional Standards for Dentists in Saudi Arabia for the wider conduct picture; Insurance Claims and NPHIES Integrity Course if claims are your main concern
- Learning time
- 3 hours of learning, self-paced online on any device, with 12 months of access. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Price
- SAR 279 for one course. Savings apply automatically in the cart when you buy several.
In short
Much of what a dentist decides in a Saudi surgery has a written rule behind it. How a treatment plan and its cost are put to a patient, whether sound teeth may be reshaped for a smile, what a clinic sign may say, how a handpiece is reprocessed, what goes on a claim form and who may see a radiograph are all addressed by the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations, the SCFHS Code of Ethics, MOH consent guidance and the MOH dental infection control manual. This course sets those rules against the situations dentists actually meet, including pressure from clinic owners and requests from patients that sit uncomfortably with the rules. You also learn a five-step method for cases the text does not settle, how complaints travel from 937 to a committee or panel, and how to finish with a reflective account and action plan you can keep.
What you will learn
- Obtain valid consent for dental treatment plans, including written consent, minors and fee estimates.
- Judge proportionality in cosmetic dentistry and avoid overtreatment and supervised neglect.
- Keep advertising, titles and social media content within Article 10 and the SCFHS Code.
- Apply the MOH dental infection control manual and speak up about unsafe shortcuts.
- Keep honest records and radiographs and share information lawfully under Article 21 and the PDPL.
- Refer within scope, refuse commissions and submit truthful insurance claims.
Course overview
Many of the hardest decisions in a Saudi dental surgery are ethical ones with legal consequences: how to present a treatment plan and its cost, whether to place veneers on healthy teeth, what you may post on social media, how to respond when a manager sets revenue targets, and what to write on an insurance claim. This course works through those questions using the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations, the SCFHS Code of Ethics for Healthcare Practitioners, the MOH Saudi Guidelines for Informed Consent and the MOH Manual of Infection Prevention and Control in Dental Settings, with Saudi case examples set in clinics from Riyadh and Jeddah to Dammam and Abha.
It is written for general dentists and specialists registered with SCFHS and licensed by the Ministry of Health, in government and private practice, including expatriate dentists adjusting to Saudi rules. Ten sections combine plain-language explanation, knowledge checks and a structured reflection, ending in a 20-question scenario assessment. SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your CPD, and you can apply to SCFHS to have it recognised.
Who this course is for
Dentists registered with SCFHS and licensed by the Ministry of Health, general dentists and specialists, Saudi and expatriate, in government and private dental settings.
- General dentists in polyclinics and private clinics
Fee estimates, phased plans, monthly targets and insurance claims shape your day. The course tests each against the written rules and shows how to say no to an instruction without damaging the working relationship.
- Dentists offering cosmetic and aligner treatment
Veneers before a wedding, aligner company offers and before-and-after photographs raise questions of proportion, titles and promotion. You learn a proportionality test and the limits on what you may publish.
- Specialists who receive referrals and lead teams
Orthodontists, endodontists, periodontists and oral surgeons deal with scope, laboratory relationships and delegation to licensed staff. They also see other dentists' work and must describe it fairly.
- Dentists answering a complaint or claim
A 937 report, a nerve injury allegation or an insurer query needs a calm account tied to the actual standard. The course explains what each body asks and how change is shown.
- Expatriate dentists new to the Kingdom
If you trained in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa or Europe, some rules will be unfamiliar: joint consent from 15 to 18, written consent for surgery, strict limits on titles and advertising, and facility-bound licences.
- Dentists in government dental centres
Public duties, waiting lists and private work sit close together. The course covers keeping the two apart, patient fairness and the infection control demands of high-volume clinics.
- Clinic owners and lead dentists
The course shows how business decisions, such as setting targets, purchasing equipment or signing off marketing, can expose the dentists working under you to professional risk.
- Dentists preparing for re-registration
You want an assessed, dentistry-specific ethics course with a certificate and reflection for your portfolio before your two-year SCFHS registration is renewed.
The concerns this course addresses
Consent for treatment plans and fee estimates
Article 19 bars intervention without consent, and Article 18 requires you to explain the condition, risks and side effects. MOH guidance asks for written signed consent for surgery, anaesthesia and interventional procedures, with most forms valid for no more than 30 days. Disputes often arise where a patient signed at reception, was never offered alternatives, or was quoted only for the first visit and later faced laboratory, grafting or review costs.
Law Arts. 18 and 19, Reg. 1-19; MOH Saudi Guidelines for Informed Consent (2019); SCFHS Code Chs. 2 and 10
Overtreatment and cosmetic work on healthy teeth
Article 9 forbids unnecessary procedures and the Code says making money must not be the main aim of practice. Complaints follow large plans offered at a routine check-up, sound fillings replaced without a clinical reason, or conventional veneers placed where a conservative option would have met the patient's concern. Undertreatment, such as noting caries at repeated recalls without advising, is treated as equally serious.
Law Art. 9; SCFHS Code Chs. 2 and 10
Titles, adverts and social media
Article 10 restricts self-promotion and unearned titles, and Regulation 9-1 targets promotion without a scientific basis. Breaches of Article 10 carry fines of up to SAR 50,000 under Article 29. MOH has referred or suspended practitioners over clips of patients and unsupported product claims, and invites the public to report them through 937. A reel from the surgery can breach several rules at once.
Law Arts. 5, 10 and 29, Regs. 3-5 and 9-1; SCFHS Code Ch. 10; PDPL; MOH releases 2024-2026
Infection control shortcuts
Patients cannot see how an instrument was reprocessed, so the duty rests entirely on you. The MOH dental manual expects cleaning and sterilisation before each use, monitored cycles, single-use items used once, safe sharps handling and proper hand hygiene. Wiped handpieces, reused endodontic files and unflushed waterlines are the kinds of habits that become conduct questions when something goes wrong.
Law Arts. 5, 6, 9, 26 and 27; MOH Manual of Infection Prevention and Control in Dental Settings (2018)
Records, radiographs and confidentiality
The Code requires accurate, signed and dated entries, dated corrections and patient access to a copy. Complaints centre on thin consent notes, entries added after a complaint, unreported radiographs and images held back over an unpaid fee. Article 21 and the PDPL make casual sharing of images in messaging groups a confidentiality problem, not a convenience.
Law Arts. 15 and 21, Reg. 1-21; SCFHS Code Ch. 9; PDPL
Scope, referrals, commissions and colleagues
Article 9 forbids work outside your specialty except in emergencies, and Articles 26 and 27 list lack of expected skill and failure to consult among malpractice examples. Article 12 bars commissions and rewards for steering patients to laboratories and benefits from device companies. Pressure to keep a complex implant case in-house, or a laboratory rebate tied to volume, are common triggers.
Law Arts. 9, 12, 14, 26 and 27; SCFHS Code Chs. 4 and 10
Owner targets and insurance claim honesty
Percentage pay and revenue targets do not move your duties to the clinic owner. A claim is a statement of fact: upcoding, billing for work not done, describing cosmetic bonding as caries treatment or changing dates can be treated as false reports. Article 14 and the Code's rules on documents and insurance apply, whatever other clinics do.
Law Arts. 9 and 14; SCFHS Code Chs. 9 and 10
Detailed course outline
10 sections · 27 lessons · 30 knowledge-check questions · 3 hours of learning
Ten sections move from the rules that bind a dentist, through consent, fees, cosmetic work, promotion, infection control and records, to referrals, business pressure, complaints and your own action plan. Each section ends with a short knowledge check.
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1The legal and ethical ground a dentist stands on in Saudi Arabia3 lessons · 3 checks
How SCFHS classification, the MOH licence and compulsory malpractice insurance fit together, what the Law and Code require, and a five-step method for decisions the rules leave open.
- 1.1Who regulates your dental practice in the KingdomClassification and registration with SCFHS · The Ministry of Health licence · Malpractice insurance: a legal condition for dentists
- 1.2What the Law and the SCFHS Code expect of a dentistThe Law: duties that apply in every dental surgery · The SCFHS Code of Ethics · How the documents are used when something goes wrong
- 1.3Ethical principles applied in the dental chairFour principles, in dental terms · Faith, culture and family · A five-step method you can record
- Section 1 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 1.1
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2Consent for dental treatment plans3 lessons · 3 checks
Valid consent under Articles 18 and 19 and MOH guidance, honest options and phased plans, full-course estimates, children, refusal, emergencies and withdrawal part-way through treatment.
- 2.1The legal ingredients of valid dental consentWhat the Law says · The MOH Saudi Guidelines for Informed Consent · Consent is a process, not a signature
- 2.2Presenting options, phases and costs honestlyA fair range of options · Phasing a treatment plan · Fees and estimates
- 2.3Children, refusal, emergencies and changing mindsChildren and adolescents · When a capable adult says no · Dental emergencies · Withdrawing consent part-way
- Section 2 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 2.1
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3Fees, overtreatment and honest treatment planning2 lessons · 3 checks
Fair fees, the line between need and preference, overtreatment and supervised neglect, keeping public and private work apart, disclosing interests, discounts, deposits and refunds.
- 3.1Fair fees and the line between need and wantWhat the rules say about money · Common forms of overtreatment in dentistry · Fairness across patients
- 3.2Public duties, private work and the patient's trustKeeping public and private work separate · Disclosing financial interests · Discounts, payment plans and refunds
- Section 3 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 3.1
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4Cosmetic dentistry, expectations and irreversible choices3 lessons · 3 checks
A proportionality test for elective work, clinical photographs, staying within your scope, honest descriptions of results and how to respond when a cosmetic outcome disappoints.
- 4.1Elective aesthetic treatment and proportionalityWhy cosmetic work needs extra care · A proportionality test · Vulnerable patients
- 4.2Photographs, scope and promises of resultsClinical photographs · Working within your scope · Honest descriptions of outcomes
- 4.3When the cosmetic result disappointsListening first · Options you can offer · What not to do
- Section 4 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 4.1
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5Advertising, titles and social media for dentists2 lessons · 3 checks
Article 10, Regulation 9-1 and Chapter 10 of the Code applied to titles, clinic marketing, filming in the surgery, influencers and MOH enforcement on social media.
- 5.1What the Law and the Code allow you to sayThe legal framework · Titles and specialties · Who is responsible for clinic marketing
- 5.2Social media, influencers and patient privacyWhat MOH has done · Filming in the dental surgery · Paid promotion and influencers · Responsible public education
- Section 5 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 5.1
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6Infection prevention and control as an ethical duty3 lessons · 3 checks
The MOH dental manual's core requirements, how shortcuts become habits, speaking up safely, standard precautions for every patient, sharps injuries and your own health.
- 6.1The standard: MOH guidance for dental settingsThe Saudi framework · Core requirements · Infection control as professional conduct
- 6.2Shortcuts, pressure and speaking upHow shortcuts become normal · Speaking up · Your own practice
- 6.3Blood-borne viruses, sharps injuries and fairnessStandard precautions for every patient · After a sharps or splash injury · Notifiable diseases and confidentiality · Your own health
- Section 6 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 6.1
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7Dental records, radiographs and confidentiality3 lessons · 3 checks
Complete dental entries, honest corrections, justified and reported radiographs, copies for patients, Article 21 confidentiality and health data under the PDPL.
- 7.1Keeping a dental record that tells the truthWhat the rules require · What a complete dental entry contains · Correcting the record honestly
- 7.2Radiographs: justification, quality and accessJustification and optimisation · Radiographs and charges · Copies and transfers
- 7.3Confidentiality, data protection and sharing informationThe legal duty · Health data under the PDPL · Everyday risks in dental clinics
- Section 7 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 7.1
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8Scope, referrals and working with colleagues3 lessons · 3 checks
Knowing your limits, writing a good referral, refusing commissions, fair comments on a colleague's work, delegating only to licensed staff and acting on an unsafe colleague.
- 8.1Knowing your limits and referring wellScope in law and in practice · When to refer · A good referral
- 8.2Commissions, laboratories and relationships with colleaguesNo commissions for referrals · Seeing a colleague's poor work · Consultations and shared care
- 8.3Supervising the team and colleagues who may be a riskLicensed staff only · Delegating safely · When a colleague may be unsafe
- Section 8 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 8.1
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9Private clinic pressures and insurance claim honesty3 lessons · 3 checks
Revenue targets and your judgement, accurate claims and prior approvals, how 937 complaints and formal claims proceed, and how to answer them honestly.
- 9.1Targets, owners and your professional judgementHow business pressure shows up · Responding to an instruction you think is wrong · Contracts and liability
- 9.2Honest insurance claimsWho oversees health insurance · Common forms of dishonest dental claims · Prior approvals and honest descriptions
- 9.3When a complaint or claim arrivesHow patients complain · Formal claims and investigations · Responding well
- Section 9 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 9.1
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10Reflection and action planning for your dental practice2 lessons · 3 checks
A structured reflection on one situation, a personal action plan with dates and measures, and a record of the evidence you will keep.
- 10.1Reflecting on an ethical challenge in your own practiceChoosing a situation · A structure for reflection · Keeping reflection safe and confidential
- 10.2Building your personal action planChoosing your priorities · Keeping your learning current
- Section 10 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 10.1
- Final assessment: 20 scenario-based questions, 80% to passthen your certificate
Knowledge checks, final assessment and certificate
Knowledge checks
30questions across the sections
- A short check at the end of every section
- Feedback that explains why each answer is right or wrong
- Use them to find gaps before the final assessment
Final assessment
20scenario-based questions
- Pass mark 80%: 16 correct out of 20
- Tests whether you can apply the rules, not recall a page
- Not passed yet? Review the sections and retake it
What the final scenarios test
- Covering a session at a clinic your licence does not name
- Presenting a fair range of options rather than one treatment
- Veneer requests, aligner incentives and patients with HIV
- Radiographs on messaging groups and dishonest insurance claims
3 hoursCertificate of completion
A dated certificate of completion for your learning portfolio. It records the course, the hours of learning and your result; SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your registration.
- Your name, the course title and the hours of learning
- Completion date and a unique certificate ID that can be verified
- Ready to download as a PDF as soon as you complete the course
How practitioners use it
- A record of focused dental ethics learning to place beside your own written reflection if a clinic, insurer or regulator asks what you have done since a concern.
- Material for your malpractice insurer or lawyer when they help you prepare a statement for an investigation or a hearing.
- Before you re-register, you can add an entry to your CPD portfolio, together with notes on the changes you made; SCFHS decides how any learning counts.
- Evidence for a clinical lead or medical director that you completed learning agreed after a complaint about fees, consent or claims.
- A starting point for supervision conversations about treatment planning, cosmetic work and records.
Your reflective account template
The course includes a structured reflective account template: guided prompts to record what you learned, how you will apply it and how the change will show in your practice. It gives you written evidence of insight after a concern, and a ready record for your CPD portfolio.
You choose an ethical challenge from your own surgery, reflect on it with a set structure kept free of identifying detail, and build an action plan with priorities for the coming year.
Write it in your own words and leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a case. If you have an open complaint or case, talk to your adviser before reflecting on it in writing.
From chairside judgement to enforceable duty: how Saudi rules shape dental ethics
In dentistry the line between a clinical choice and a commercial one is thin. A crown may protect a cracked molar or lift a monthly figure; a veneer may answer a real concern or a screenshot. Saudi Arabia does not leave that line to individual conscience alone. The Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions, issued by Royal Decree No. M/59 of 1426H, and its Executive Regulations turn several ethical expectations into duties with penalties: consent before intervention, explanation of risks, no unnecessary procedures, limits on self-promotion, a ban on commissions, accurate reports and confidentiality.
The SCFHS Code of Ethics for Healthcare Practitioners fills the space around those duties. Its chapter on patients asks for fair treatment and procedures limited to what a condition needs. Its chapter on documentation sets standards for signed, dated and corrected entries. Its chapter on financial affairs covers fees, estimates, gifts, industry relationships, advertising and insurance, which is why a busy private clinic meets it every day. MOH adds the practical detail through its consent guidelines and its dental infection control manual. A single act can therefore breach more than one source at once. Posting a patient's extraction on a personal account touches the consent and photography rules, the Code's rules on images and the PDPL.
Your standing to do any of this depends on three permissions that are separate from one another. SCFHS classification and registration set your professional degree. The MOH licence, which the Law requires and which is tied to a licensed facility, lets you practise there. Article 41 makes malpractice insurance compulsory for dentists. A dentist who covers an evening at a sister clinic without the licensing arrangements in place, or who drifts into a procedure beyond their classification, creates a legal problem before any clinical question arises.
Rules cannot cover every case, so reasoning has to carry the rest. A patient wants sound amalgam fillings replaced, a parent asks for a child's teeth to be whitened, a capable adult refuses a radiograph you need. Respect for the patient's decision, benefit, avoiding harm and fairness give a vocabulary, and the Code's language points the same way. A method that records the facts, the applicable rules, the competing principles, your decision and your reasons makes the reasoning visible later, to a colleague, an insurer or an investigator.
When something goes wrong, those same sources set the questions. An investigating body asks which duty applied, what the patient experienced and what has changed. A dentist who can name the provision, explain why it protects patients, and show a checked change such as a revised estimate template or a records audit gives a reader reason to think the risk has been addressed. An account built on good intentions and busy schedules leaves that question open.
How to respond to a complaint about this kind of concern
A complaint about fees, a cosmetic result or a claim can feel personal, yet it is usually a request for a clear account of one event. These steps help you keep a response factual, complete and calm.
Take advice before writing
Contact your malpractice insurer, the clinic's legal contact or a lawyer. Note any deadline in the letter and ask early if you need longer. Do not alter the record or contact the patient about withdrawing the complaint.
In the course: Section 9 explains how complaints and claims proceed, so you know what your adviser is preparing you for.
Identify the standard that applied
Find the article, regulation, Code chapter or MOH guidance covering the event and read the full text, not a summary or a colleague's recollection of it.
In the course: Sections 2 to 8 set out each rule with its source, from consent and fees to scope and commissions.
Name the question beneath the complaint
Was it need against preference, a patient's choice against your view, or revenue against safety? Saying so plainly shows you understand why the rule exists.
In the course: Section 1 gives the principles and the five-step method for setting this out.
Write a factual account
Give events in order from the record, separate what was written from what you recall, express regret for the patient's experience without speculating about blame, and leave out identifying detail not needed.
In the course: Section 9 covers statements, apology and honesty after a complaint.
Show what has changed
List each change, when it began and how it is checked: a revised consent form, a full-course estimate template, an audit of coding or radiograph reports, or a supervision arrangement.
In the course: Section 10 helps you turn changes into actions with dates, measures and evidence.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Before you reply to a clinic, MOH, an insurer, the Violations Committee or the Sharia Health Panel, speak to your malpractice insurer, your facility's legal contact or a lawyer.
How this course helps with a complaint or investigation
It ties each duty to a source
Statements often say a dentist now values consent or honest billing. Fewer say which provision applied and what it requires. Linking each lesson to the Law, the Code or MOH guidance turns reflection into understanding.
It speaks to dental decisions
The cases involve treatment plans, veneers, handpieces, radiographs and claim codes rather than hospital wards, so your reflection can describe changes an investigator will recognise as relevant.
It gives a method you can show
The five-step method produces a short written record of how you reasoned. Using it on later cases is concrete evidence that your decision-making has changed.
It matches change to cause
Learning suits a knowledge gap, supervision suits judgement, and a revised clinic process suits a system failure. The action plan helps you choose and evidence the right one.
Remediation evidence that carries weight
Carries weight
- A reflection in your own words naming the rule, why it protects patients and the effect on the person involved
- A revised treatment-plan or consent template showing alternatives, no-treatment and full-course estimates
- An audit of a set number of your records for justification, reports and consent detail, with the findings
- A written decision record, using a structured method, for a comparable case since the event
- Notes from a case discussion with a senior colleague who has no stake in the matter
- A coding review with the billing team showing how common procedures are now described
- Study chosen to fit the particular gap you identified, along with notes on how you put it into practice
Carries little weight
- A bundle of certificates with no link to the concern
- Statements that you have always practised ethically
- Pages of quoted legislation not applied to the event
- Describing the patient as demanding or unreasonable
- Pointing out that other clinics bill or advertise the same way
- Promises to be more careful with no change behind them
- Reflection that could fit any dentist after any complaint
A remediation plan, phase by phase
Weeks 1-2
Advice, facts and the right rule
- Speak to your insurer or a lawyer and diarise every deadline in writing.
- Draft a private chronology from the clinical record before relying on memory.
- Locate the provision or guidance that governed the event and read it in full.
Weeks 2-6
Understand the ethics of the event
- Work through the course and mark the sections your event engages.
- Apply the five-step method to the event in writing, step by step.
- Draft your reflective account and let your adviser read it before it goes anywhere.
Weeks 6-12
Change practice and show it
- Introduce the concrete change the analysis points to, such as a staged cosmetic consultation or a radiograph reporting habit.
- Set up regular case review with a senior colleague outside the dispute.
- Keep anonymised examples showing the change in use.
Months 3-12
Sustain and review
- Add a measurable ethics goal to your CPD plan.
- Re-audit a sample of records or claims each quarter and note the result.
- Revisit your reflection at six months and record what has held and what has slipped.
Writing your reflective statement
Describe the event
State what happened, your role, the setting and the outcome, leaving out anything that identifies the patient.
Example only: As the treating general dentist in a Jeddah polyclinic, I quoted a patient for the first visit of an implant plan and did not mention the scan, grafting or laboratory charges that followed.
Name the pull between principles
When you made the decision, say which principles pulled against each other and how you weighed one against the other.
Example only: I wanted to keep the first conversation simple and gave far more weight to ease than to the patient's right to know what the whole course would cost.
Identify the standard
Cite the provision or guidance that applied and explain the reason behind it.
Example only: Chapter 10 of the SCFHS Code expects fees to be fair and estimates given in advance, so that a patient can decide before committing to a course of treatment.
Acknowledge the impact
Set out what happened to the patient, to the team and to the trust placed in the clinic.
Example only: He felt misled when the bills grew, stopped treatment half-way and told relatives not to use the clinic.
Explain what you learned
Say what you had overlooked and how your understanding shifted.
Example only: I had treated the estimate as a sales document. I now see it as part of consent, because the cost is something a patient must weigh in choosing.
Describe your changes and checks
List the changes, when they began and how you know they are working.
Example only: Since April every plan I write carries a full-course estimate with exclusions listed, and the clinic manager checks ten plans each quarter.
The example sentences are fictional and show structure only. Your own account must be honest and based on your own event.
A weak and a strong response, side by side
Illustrative case. A general dentist in a private clinic in Dammam records composite bonding on two front teeth as caries restorations because the patient's policy covers fillings but not cosmetic work. The insurer queries the claim and the clinic asks the dentist for an explanation.
| Weak response | Strong response |
|---|---|
| The patient could not afford the work and I wanted to help him. Many clinics describe bonding this way and the insurer is a large company that will not notice. Nothing was harmed and he is happy with his teeth. I have always been honest in my claims and I will take more care in future. | I recorded and claimed cosmetic bonding as treatment for caries when there was no caries. That created a false record and a false claim, which Article 14 of the Law and Chapters 9 and 10 of the SCFHS Code do not allow. It also placed the clinic's contract with the insurer at risk and treated the patient's wish as a reason to change the facts. I have reread those provisions, completed this course and now record the diagnosis exactly as I find it. For cosmetic requests I offer a written self-pay estimate or a simpler option. The billing lead reviews a sample of my claims every month against my notes. |
Why the second one works: The strong response says what was written and why it was wrong, cites the rules, accepts the effect on the insurer and patient, and describes checked changes. The weak response relies on kindness, the habits of others and a lack of visible harm, and ends with a promise that gives no reason to think the claim would not be repeated.
Mistakes practitioners make when responding
Defending the claim as help for the patient
Kindness is not a defence to a false record. A response built on it tells the reader your reasoning has not changed, and lawful routes such as payment plans exist.
Quoting another country's dental rules
Citing a foreign council or the system where you trained suggests you have not read the Saudi text that binds you. Refer to the Law, the Regulations, the SCFHS Code and MOH guidance.
Blaming the owner or the target
Your name and licence are on the entry. Business pressure may explain how a decision happened, but it does not move the duty to someone else.
Altering the record to strengthen it
Adding detail to an earlier entry after a complaint is more damaging than a thin note. Leave the original untouched and write a dated, clearly later statement.
Arguing the patient chose it
A patient's request does not cover a missing explanation of alternatives, cost or irreversibility. Show what you told them, not only what they asked for.
Leaving out the patient's experience
A statement that never mentions the patient reads as self-focused, however sincere the rest is.
Stopping at the certificate
Without a changed template, audit or arrangement to show for it, a certificate proves only that you studied.
The rules this course works through
References are to the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations, the SCFHS Code of Ethics and MOH guidance, as covered in the course.
- Arts. 18-19
Information and consent
Explain the condition, risks and side effects, and obtain consent from the patient or, where capacity is lacking, a guardian. Only an emergency to save life or an organ, or avoid serious harm, excuses consent that cannot be obtained in time.
In the course: Section 2 applies this to treatment plans, children, refusal and emergencies.
- Art. 9
Patient's interest and specialty
Act in the patient's interest, with no unnecessary procedures and no work outside your specialty except in an emergency.
In the course: Sections 3, 4 and 8 apply it to overtreatment, cosmetic work and scope.
- Art. 10 and Reg. 9-1
Self-promotion and titles
The Regulations set the only limits within which you may advertise yourself; you must not claim titles or specialties you have not earned, and any commercial promotion needs a scientific basis. Fines of up to SAR 50,000 apply under Article 29.
In the course: Section 5 covers titles, clinic marketing and MOH enforcement.
- Art. 12
Commissions and company benefits
No commissions or rewards for steering patients to laboratories, pharmacies or hospitals, and no benefits from drug or device companies.
In the course: Section 8 applies it to laboratory rebates and referral payments.
- Arts. 14-15
Staff, reports and sick leave
No unlicensed staff, no false sick leave or reports, and reports issued in line with the Regulations with due care in diagnosis.
In the course: Sections 7, 8 and 9 cover records, delegation and claims.
- Art. 21
Confidentiality
Information learned in practice is confidential and the file is open only to the treating team, the patient and authorised bodies, with limited listed exceptions.
In the course: Section 7 sets this beside the PDPL and everyday clinic risks.
Also relevant: Art. 5 and Reg. 3-5 on photographing procedures; Art. 8 on emergency care before payment; Art. 17 on second opinions; Arts. 26-27 on malpractice; Art. 41 on compulsory malpractice insurance; SCFHS Code Chs. 4, 9 and 10.
How this applies in each dental setting
General practice in private clinicsPolyclinics and dental centres owned by groups or investors
Targets, packages and percentage pay sit close to treatment decisions. Written plans with alternatives and full-course estimates, and a clear line on what you will not recommend, protect both patients and you.
Cosmetic and aligner practiceSmile design, veneers, whitening and orthodontic aligners
Healthy tissue is at stake, so proportionality, honest descriptions of results, careful use of photographs and accurate titles matter most. Short-course certificates do not change your classification.
Specialist referral practiceOrthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery and prosthodontics
Referrals bring clear communication duties, fair comment on earlier work and a ban on payments for sending cases. Specialists also supervise assistants and often face laboratory relationships.
Government dental centresMOH centres and hospital dental departments
High volumes test infection control routines and waiting-list fairness. Public duties must not be used to draw patients into private practice, and central sterilisation procedures apply.
Dental teams and training settingsAssistants, hygienists, technicians and junior dentists
Delegation must stay within each person's licence and competence. Team members who see unsafe shortcuts need a safe route to raise concerns, and supervising dentists carry responsibility for what is delegated.
What happens after a complaint is made
A complaint about a dentist can begin at the clinic, through 937 or as a formal claim, and the route depends on whether harm is alleged. The stages below describe the usual path set out in the Law and its Executive Regulations.
Complaint or claim
A patient raises a concern with the clinic or through the MOH 937 service, which records and follows up reports. A person harmed, or a guardian or heirs, may also file a private claim with the facility or the regional health affairs director.
Clinic response
Fee, cosmetic and communication complaints are often looked at first by the clinic, which may ask for your account and the record. Procedures differ between facilities, so ask for the policy that applies to you.
Investigation
Where a formal investigation opens, your statement is taken and a committee report prepared. The Law expects the investigation to finish in 30 days, extendable once by 30. A travel bar of 30 days, extendable by 30, is possible and can be objected to.
Dismissal or referral
If the evidence is insufficient, dismissal may be recommended. Otherwise compensation claims and cases of death or loss of an organ or its function go to the Sharia Health Panel, and other breaches such as advertising or working outside your specialty go to the Committee for Violations of the Law.
Hearing and decision
The Sharia Health Panel is chaired by a judge and includes medical and legal members, with the public prosecutor representing the public right. Notices are served through your employer, and electronic notices and hearings are allowed.
Appeal
Decisions of the Panel and the Violations Committee can be appealed to the Board of Grievances within 60 days of notification. A ministerial suspension can be appealed within 30 days.
Possible outcomes and what they mean for you
The consequences below are those set out in the Law. Whether any applies depends on the facts, and no course can predict or decide it.
| Outcome | What it is | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Dismissal or no action | The evidence is found insufficient or the matter is settled at clinic level. | More likely where the facts are clear, the issue was isolated and you had already corrected it. |
| Warning | A disciplinary penalty under Article 32. | Seen where a consent or record failing was handled poorly but there is no pattern. |
| Fine | Up to SAR 10,000 as a disciplinary penalty (Art. 32); up to SAR 50,000 for breaches of Arts. 10, 12, 13 and listed parts of 14 (Art. 29); up to SAR 20,000 for other breaches (Art. 30). | Advertising, commissions and false reports fall in the higher band. |
| Compensation | Diya, arsh or other compensation set by the Sharia Health Panel where harm is proven. | Paid through malpractice insurance or by the employer, so early contact with your insurer matters. |
| Temporary suspension | The Minister may suspend a practitioner on evidence of a serious violation and risk to patients (Art. 39). | You cannot practise during the suspension; appeal lies within 30 days. |
| Licence cancellation | Cancellation and removal from the register, with no new application for two years (Art. 32). | Reserved for the gravest conduct; it ends lawful practice. |
| Criminal penalty | For offences such as practising without a licence or misleading advertising: up to 6 months' imprisonment and/or up to SAR 100,000 (Art. 28). | Uncommon in dental ethics cases, though MOH has also cited the Anti-Cybercrime Law in social media cases. |
If you have been asked to complete education
Sometimes a clinic, a medical director or a committee asks a dentist to complete ethics learning after a concern. If the request names a course, provider or format, only the body that made it can say whether this course meets it, so send them the outline, the number of sections, the checks, the final assessment and the learning time, and ask for written confirmation before you enrol.
Afterwards you will usually be asked for the certificate and a reflection. Use the reflective template in the final section, tie it to the specific concern, and keep dated copies of everything you send.
Using this course as CPD
SCFHS registration lasts two years and CPD hours are checked at re-registration. SCFHS publishes required hours by category on its re-registration page, listing 20 for technicians, 40 for specialists and pharmacists and 60 for doctors, so check the figure for your own category. If hours are not completed, SCFHS renews for one year only, a concession that can be used once.
This course does not award SCFHS CPD hours. SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your registration; you can apply through the Recognition of CPD Hours service on Mumaris Plus, which SCFHS lists at SAR 100 with a 30 business day service time, and SCFHS decides on relevance and depth for your field.
Whatever SCFHS decides, a short note of what you changed after the course is useful for appraisal, for your clinical lead and for any later question about your practice.
SCFHS registration renewal
The core ethics course for dentists, written to the dental chair rather than adapted from medicine. The certificate records 3 hours; SCFHS decides how it counts towards re-registration.
A 937 complaint or committee case
Most dental complaints involve money, consent or results. The course helps you show you understand the standard and have changed your treatment planning, records or claims. Agree its use with your adviser.
Key terms explained
- SCFHS
- Practitioners are classified and registered by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, which also publishes the Code of Ethics and operates Mumaris Plus.
- Mumaris Plus
- The SCFHS portal for classification, registration, re-registration and CPD hour recognition requests.
- Malpractice insurance
- Cover required for dentists and physicians under Article 41, checked by the employer and needed to obtain or renew a licence.
- Supervised neglect
- Watching disease progress across visits without diagnosing, advising or treating it.
- NPHIES
- The national platform for health insurance transactions, run by the Council of Health Insurance.
- Insurance Authority
- The body that has regulated insurers and handled insurance complaints since 4 March 2024.
- 937
- The MOH service centre and digital portal that records complaints and follows them up.
- Committee for Violations of the Law
- The body that hears breaches of the Law that are not malpractice claims, such as advertising or working outside your specialty.
- Sharia Health Panel
- A panel led by a judge hears claims for compensation, as well as cases involving a death or the loss of an organ or its function.
- PDPL
- The Personal Data Protection Law, under which health data is sensitive data and SDAIA is the competent authority.
FAQالأسئلة الشائعة
Questions about this course
Who is this dental ethics course for?
It is for dentists registered with SCFHS and licensed by the Ministry of Health, including general dentists and specialists in government dental centres, hospital departments, polyclinics and private clinics. It is written with expatriate dentists in mind as well as Saudi nationals, and explains where Saudi rules on consent, advertising and records may differ from those in the country where you trained.
Will this course give me SCFHS CPD hours?
No SCFHS CPD hours are awarded by this course. Your certificate shows 3 hours of learning and the completion date. SCFHS decides how any learning counts, and you can apply through the Recognition of CPD Hours service on Mumaris Plus to have it considered.
Does it cover consent for treatment plans and fees?
Yes. Section 2 covers Article 19 of the Law, the MOH Saudi Guidelines for Informed Consent (including when written consent is needed, the rules for patients aged under 15 and from 15 to 18, and the 30-day validity of most forms), and how to present options and full-course fee estimates honestly, as Chapter 10 of the SCFHS Code expects.
What does it teach about advertising and social media?
Section 5 explains Article 10 of the Law, Regulation 9-1 and Chapter 10 of the Code, including the bans on unearned titles, superiority claims and promised results. It reviews MOH enforcement releases on practitioners' social media content and explains why filming patients needs written consent and facility approval, and why health data is sensitive under the Personal Data Protection Law.
Is infection control covered in a Saudi-specific way?
Yes. Section 6 is built around the MOH Manual of Infection Prevention and Control in Dental Settings (second edition, 2018), covering instrument reprocessing, sterilisation monitoring, single-use items, hand hygiene, PPE and sharps. It treats infection control as an ethical duty and shows how to raise concerns about shortcuts in a busy clinic.
Can I take it after a complaint through 937 or an MOH investigation?
Yes. Many dentists use structured ethics learning to understand the standard involved and to show reflection and change. If a committee or the Ministry has asked for particular training, only that body can say whether this course meets the request, so check with it, your employer, your insurer or a lawyer. The course supports your response but cannot decide its outcome.
Does it cover insurance claims and NPHIES?
Section 9 explains the roles of the Council of Health Insurance, which runs NPHIES, and the Insurance Authority, which has regulated insurers since March 2024. It describes common forms of dishonest dental claims, such as upcoding and describing cosmetic work as medically necessary, and how to respond when a patient or manager asks you to change a claim.
How is the course assessed?
Each of the ten sections ends with a short knowledge check. The final assessment has 20 scenario-based questions and you need 16 correct (80%) to pass. The last section guides you through a written reflection and action plan that you can keep in your professional development portfolio.
Does it cover discounts, payment plans and refunds?
Yes. Section 3 covers fair fees, overtreatment, keeping public and private work separate, disclosing financial interests, and discounts, payment plans and refunds.
What does it say about a disappointing cosmetic result?
Section 4 covers how to listen first, the options you can offer and what not to do, together with photographs, scope and honest descriptions of likely outcomes.
Does it cover sharps injuries and blood-borne viruses?
Section 6 covers standard precautions for every patient, what to do after a sharps or splash injury, notifiable diseases and confidentiality, and your own health.
Does the course explain what to do if a patient asks me to change a diagnosis for an insurer?
Yes. Section 9 shows how to refuse kindly, record only what you found and offer lawful options such as self-pay, a simpler treatment or an insurer appeal.
Will it help if I work in a clinic owned by non-dentists?
Yes. The course explains why targets and percentage contracts do not move your duties, and how to question an instruction, offer an alternative and put your concern in writing.
Are dental assistants and hygienists covered?
Section 8 covers delegation to licensed staff, and Section 6 covers how team members can raise infection control concerns safely. The course itself is written for dentists.
Can I use the reflection in an appraisal or portfolio?
Yes, as long as it contains no patient details. If a complaint is live, ask your insurer or lawyer whether to wait before writing about that case.
How this course is written and kept current
The course is written for Saudi dental practice from the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations, the SCFHS Code of Ethics, the MOH consent guidelines, the MOH dental infection control manual, SDAIA guidance on the PDPL and MOH releases. Anything we could not confirm from a primary source has been left out rather than guessed.
Cases are illustrative and describe no real patients or practitioners. When a law, code or guideline changes, affected lessons and questions are reviewed, and reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.
Page updated 2 November 2026
Primary sources
The laws, codes and pages this page and the course rely on. Always check the current text with the issuing body.
- Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions (MOH English text)moh.gov.sa
- Executive Regulations of the Law (MOH, Arabic)moh.gov.sa
- SCFHS Code of Ethics for Healthcare Practitionersscfhs.org.sa
- MOH Saudi Guidelines for Informed Consent (2019)moh.gov.sa
- SCFHS re-registration requirementsscfhs.org.sa
- SCFHS Mumaris Plus FAQscfhs.org.sa
- MOH 937 services (my.gov.sa)my.gov.sa
- SDAIA guide to the Personal Data Protection Lawdgp.sdaia.gov.sa
- MOH release on social media violations (November 2024)moh.gov.sa
- Council of Health Insurance announcement on transfer of roles to the Insurance Authoritychi.gov.sa
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