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Bioethics strives for humanization in health services along with promoting the rights of patients. In view of the lack of dental research dealing with this topic, the present study was undertaken to identify, from the viewpoint of dental surgeons, ethical problems experienced in dental practice. It is a descriptive exploratory investigation within a qualitative approach. Empirical material was collected through semi-structured interviews performed with 15 dental surgeons in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The results indicate that many of the ethical problems coincide with infringements of the norms and rules of the Dental Code of Ethics, confirming a dental ethic acquired during professional formation and therefore, inadequate for solving the problems that emerge in professional practice. We concluded that the ethical problems identified in professional practice need to be understood beyond the dental dimension, towards a human approach. It is therefore necessary to incorporate health care management technologies into health practices which imply recognizing the different dimensions that surround individuals and their health needs.

Objective: To describe volunteers' perceptions of the beneficiaries of volunteering within the hospital setting and the influence that the theme of benefits exercises on their motivations., Methods: This is an exploratory study with a qualitative approach. One hundred and ten volunteers working in health services that are references for the treatment of cancer in Rio de Janeiro (Southeastern Brazil) are the subjects of this study. Data was collected between October and December 2001. Data was obtained by two instruments - a questionnaire which identifies the socioeconomic profile and the motivations for undertaking voluntary activity; and a semi-structured interview that provided complementary information., Results: According to the volunteers' perception, the beneficiaries of voluntary activity were, primarily, the patient, (50.5%); secondarily the volunteer him/herself (41.9%); and least of all, the institution and the society in which these benefits are obtained (7.6%). Both the patient and the volunteer were considered simultaneously beneficiaries, being that the volunteer tends to receive more benefits. A comprehension of the social benefits of this activity was also reported., Conclusions: A notion of the social importance of their volunteering was verified among the volunteers. However, the study indicates that a larger articulation is lacking between individual motivations and volunteer work as a setting within which social problems may be confronted.

This descriptive-reflexive study reflects on the importance of ethics in human care and its relation with HIV/AIDS patients, identifying the main concepts of ethics in human care and ethics in care for HIV/AIDS patients. Considering the clear need for care nowadays, current ideas present care as the human essence which is present in ethics. The emergence of AIDS, an epidemic that cannot be cured yet, mobilizes society to concerns about privacy and confidentiality, including the need to reinforce ethical aspects, with a view to a better life quality for its patients. Ethical thinking is in line with scientific and technological evolution all over the world. In view of our reflections, we understood that ethics is part of our society and that human care needs to be linked up with ethics.