Articles and features 25/01/2017 Complaints Handling Preview Article Complaints Handling Time to read article: 5 mins Close Preview The key to complaints handling is a flexibility of approach. The complaints handling process should adapt to the needs of a patient and not the other way round. Although there is no single way to handle a complaint, there are some key steps that should always be considered... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Complaints
Case study 14/11/2016 Acknowledging a ‘life event’ Preview Article Acknowledging a ‘life event’ Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview What may seem a run-of-the-mill appointment for the dentist can often be a major event for the patient. Keeping detailed records of discussions and warnings is essential... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Communicate Record Keeping Oral Surgery Generic Dentistry Managing Clinical Risk
Case study 07/11/2016 The black, the white, and the grey Preview Article The black, the white, and the grey Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview What happens when experts disagree? Clinical opinion can and will differ from dentist to dentist, and as this case shows, sometimes the best option is to bring the experts together... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Complaints Competence Communicate Prosthodontics Managing Clinical Risk Claims
Articles and features 15/08/2016 Infection control Preview Article Infection control Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview In addition to several references in the press to “dirty dentists” this is the month that the case of Dr D’Mello returned to the GDC. More importantly, when the case is reported in the national press it has the potential to suggest that dental surgeries may not be safe or that cross - infection standards have been disregarded. One way to avoid such suspicion is to share your infection control routines with your patients at an early stage when they first come for treatment; adopt an “open house” policy. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing Clinical Risk ENT Generic Dentistry Infection Control Professionalism
Case study 31/05/2016 Management of dental pain Preview Article Management of dental pain Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview Allocate sufficient time to form a diagnosis & record both the diagnosis and the treatment indicated in the patient’s record. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Generic Dentistry Prescribing Managing Clinical Risk
Case study 19/04/2016 Buying a practice versus starting from scratch Preview Article Buying a practice versus starting from scratch Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview When I started out, beginning from scratch was almost always better. There was a shortage of dentists in many rural areas, and you could open and be instantly busy. Those days are gone. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Financial Management Generic Dentistry Professionalism Practice management
Case study 17/03/2016 More than I bargained for Preview Article More than I bargained for Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview I didn’t really want to work for anyone else when I graduated, I just liked the idea of being my own boss and so I found my own premises to set up in. I’m happy still with the decisions and choices I made, although it came with challenges... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Negligence Reputation management System Errors Practice management Generic Dentistry
Case study 12/02/2016 Measure twice, cut once Preview Article Measure twice, cut once Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview A guide to help prevent extraction of the wrong tooth on referral from an orthodontist by Dr Steven Burlinson Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing Clinical Risk Orthodontics Professionalism Communicate Handover
Case study 13/01/2016 The day my patient nearly died Preview Article The day my patient nearly died Time to read article: 6 mins Close Preview I was working as a young graduate dentist some years ago. I had three years of experience since graduating, and like many dentists starting their careers I worked at two different practices. I had recently started doing three days per week at a practice unsupervised and I felt confident in my clinical experience to do this, comforted by the knowledge that I could refer if required... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Confidentiality Anaesthetics System Errors Equipment Generic Dentistry
Case study 15/12/2015 My first year in practice: a country change Preview Article My first year in practice: a country change Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview The prospects for 2015 became exciting and far more concrete when I was given the opportunity to take up a full-time position in Roma with the South West Hospital and Health Service. After a quick Google search of how far away Roma actually was, I decided on a country change; from the white sandy beaches of Gold Coast to the red soil of south-west Queensland... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Generic Dentistry Career Planning Professionalism
Case study 14/10/2015 Are we there yet? Preview Article Are we there yet? Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview I don’t think that I was taught orthodontics very well at an undergraduate level. That is to say, I think our lecturers scared us off it, telling us that it was best left to ‘the experts’ and so I didn't leave dental school feeling in any way confident to treat orthodontic patients. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Record Keeping Orthodontics Patients Communicate Managing Clinical Risk
Case study 15/07/2015 Would you like to rinse? Preview Article Would you like to rinse? Time to read article: 2 mins Close Preview An innocent enough question but, when an adverse incident occurs, make sure the patient’s welfare is your main priority... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Professionalism System Errors Communicate Generic Dentistry
Case study 28/04/2015 Simply the worst day of my practising life Preview Article Simply the worst day of my practising life Time to read article: 5 mins Close Preview Nobody gets up in the morning intending on harming someone, I know that, and I am no different. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Maxillofacial surgery Professionalism Negligence Oral Surgery Generic Dentistry Competence
Articles and features 31/03/2015 How Dental Protection can help you prepare for a CQC inspection Preview Article How Dental Protection can help you prepare for a CQC inspection Close Preview Here are the Dental Protection resources which you may find helpful as part of your preparation for your inspection. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... CQC Compliance
Case study 10/03/2015 Broken endodontic instruments and the importance of radiographs Preview Article Broken endodontic instruments and the importance of radiographs Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview Radiographs are vital tools to determine what is happening in a patient’s mouth. Without this knowledge, problems can arise... Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Consent Generic Dentistry Negligence Managing Clinical Risk Professionalism
Articles and features 19/01/2015 Complaints handling - quick facts Preview Article Complaints handling - quick facts Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview When the practice receives a complaint it must acknowledge the complaint not later than 3 working days after the day on which it was received. At the same time, an offer must be made to discuss with the patient the handling of the complaint and the likely period for the investigation and response. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Complaints
Articles and features 10/11/2014 GDC Standards for the Dental Team Preview Article GDC Standards for the Dental Team Time to read article: 1 mins Close Preview Standards for the Dental Team is published by the General Dental Council (GDC) and came into effect 30 September 2013. The document sets out the standards of conduct, performance and ethics that govern dental professionals in the United Kingdom. It specifies the principles, standards and guidance which apply to all members of the dental team, and also sets out what patients can expect from a dental professional. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing Clinical Risk
Articles and features 27/08/2014 Tooth surface loss Preview Article Tooth surface loss Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview Not only is the prevalence of tooth surface loss (TSL) increasing, but clinicians increasingly find themselves facing criticism and challenges regarding its diagnosis and management. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... ENT Generic Dentistry Managing Clinical Risk
Articles and features 27/08/2014 Post-operative instructions Preview Article Post-operative instructions Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview Sadly the dental surgery environment is not always conducive to effective communication. Often the dentist and other members of the dental team are dealing with a variety of patients, all with different needs, and they may be subject to severe time pressures. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing Clinical Risk ENT Generic Dentistry
Articles and features 27/08/2014 Co-operation & compliance Preview Article Co-operation & compliance Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview There are many examples in clinical dentistry of treatment which is largely dependent upon the level of co-operation from the patient, and/or the degree to which the patient follows the advice and recommendations of the clinical team. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Generic Dentistry ENT Managing Clinical Risk
Articles and features 27/08/2014 Monitoring early caries Preview Article Monitoring early caries Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview New techniques, new materials and perhaps more importantly, a shift in treatment philosophies in recent years has led to a greater emphasis upon minimally interventive, preventive approaches to the management of the early carious lesion. In some key respects new technology has helped, and in other respects it has hindered, this process. In a dentolegal sense, the most likely allegation would be that the clinician failed to recognise, act upon and appropriately manage the small or early carious lesion and as a result it was allowed to develop, causing pain and suffering together with the cost and inconvenience of more extensive (and more expensive) treatment. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Managing Clinical Risk Generic Dentistry Professionalism ENT
Articles and features 27/08/2014 Periodontal monitoring Preview Article Periodontal monitoring Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview People are living longer, and more people are retaining their teeth into later life. Consequently, the overall potential periodontal risk is rapidly increasing. Most allegations of undiagnosed, untreated and under-treated periodontal disease arise when a patient sees a new dentist for the first time. This may result from the retirement of the patient’s previous dentist, or simply because the dentist has left the practice. Sometimes the patient attends a different dentist in an emergency situation, or following the sale of the practice where they have been treated over many years. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Generic Dentistry Periodontics Managing Clinical Risk ENT
Articles and features 26/08/2014 Communications between dentists and technicians Preview Article Communications between dentists and technicians Time to read article: 4 mins Close Preview Dentists communicate with their technicians (and vice versa) in a variety of ways, and on a variety of subjects. Yet in the experience of Dental Protection, many valuable opportunities to improve the quality of these communications seem to be missed. Although there has to have been some dialogue, there is often little or no tangible evidence that this was so. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... ENT Generic Dentistry Managing Clinical Risk
Articles and features 22/08/2008 Private Dentistry (Wales) Regulations 2008 Preview Article Private Dentistry (Wales) Regulations 2008 Time to read article: 3 mins Close Preview All dentists practising in Wales must ensure that they have registered with Health Inspectorate before they undertake any private dental treatment. Read more Article contains Text Tagged in... Wales