---
title: "What Is Informed consent? Dental Practice Glossary"
description: "Informed consent is a patient's agreement to treatment after the dentist has explained the risks, benefits and alternatives and the patient has the capacity to..."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/informed-consent
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Practice management

# Informed consent

Informed consent is a patient's agreement to treatment after the dentist has explained the risks, benefits and alternatives and the patient has the capacity to decide.

Informed consent is both a legal and an ethical idea. A review in PMC says informed consent depends on the patient having the capacity to make decisions, and that the patient should understand the relevant information and be able to weigh treatment options against personal values. Federal rules for research list items that must be conveyed, including reasonably foreseeable risks, expected benefits and alternative courses of treatment. Those research rules are not a dental practice standard. Dentists should follow Missouri law and the advice of an attorney on forms and documentation. A clear [case presentation](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/case-presentation) and good [patient communication](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/patient-communication) support the process.

[Next stepPractice consulting with Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact?topic=consulting)

## Related terms

-   [Case presentation](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/case-presentation)
-   [Treatment plan](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/treatment-plan)
-   [Patient communication](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/patient-communication)
-   [Patient dismissal](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/patient-dismissal)

## Sources

1.  [PMC, Informed consent for clinical treatment](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3307558/)
2.  [HHS OHRP, Informed Consent FAQs](https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/guidance/faq/informed-consent/index.html)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)