Professional Attitudes and Public Trust

Professional attitudes in dental nursing include integrity, respect, reliability, accountability, kindness, self-awareness and a steady focus on patients' interests. These qualities appear in everyday actions: how you speak to an anxious patient, how you answer questions, how you respond to mistakes and how you behave when the practice is busy or under pressure.

GDC Principle 9 requires dental professionals to ensure their conduct, at work and in private, maintains patients' and the public's trust in the profession. For dental nurses, behaviour outside the surgery can still affect confidence in you, the team or the profession.

Professional attitudes include

• Respect for patients, colleagues and the public.
• Honesty in communication, records and reflection.
• Calmness under pressure and willingness to ask for help.
• Awareness of power imbalance, vulnerability and anxiety.
• Fairness, inclusion and refusal to normalise discrimination.
• Accountability for your words, actions and online presence.

Professionalism does not require perfection. It requires noticing when behaviour falls short and taking prompt action to repair harm, learn and protect trust.

Professionalism framework

Professional attitude is visible in ordinary moments. Dental nurses protect trust by being respectful, honest, calm and accountable when no one is making a formal assessment.