Which term describes an obligation that one owes to another?

• A. Duty
• B. Liability
• C. Tort
• D. Fraud

Answer: (A)

In professional practice, the obligation you owe to others is called a duty. For a dental assistant, this means maintaining a standard of care to protect patient safety, perform competently, obtain informed consent, and keep patient information confidential. This duty is the obligation that sets the baseline for how you must act.

If that duty is not met and harm occurs, the result can be liability—the legal responsibility to compensate for damages. A tort is a broader category that covers civil wrongs arising from a breach of duty, such as negligence, which can lead to liability. Fraud, on the other hand, involves intentional deception for personal gain and is a different kind of wrongdoing. So the obligation itself described here is duty.