Which ethical principle means "to do good or provide a benefit"?

The ethical principle that means "to do good or provide a benefit" is beneficence. This principle emphasizes the importance of acting in ways that promote the well-being of others, particularly in healthcare and dental practices. Beneficence involves taking positive actions that contribute to the health and welfare of patients. It underscores the duty of healthcare providers to actively contribute to the improvement of patients' health, to relieve their suffering, and to enhance their quality of life.

In the context of dental jurisprudence, beneficence aligns with the responsibility of dental professionals to provide appropriate care, offer beneficial treatments, and act with the patients' best interests in mind. This principle is foundational to fostering trust in the patient-provider relationship, where the expectation is that practitioners will prioritize the welfare of their patients above all.

The other principles of justice, nonmaleficence, and autonomy relate to fairness, avoiding harm, and respecting patients' rights to make their own decisions, respectively, but it is beneficence that specifically denotes the positive action of doing good.