Civil liability: characterization of the demand for lawsuits against dentists.

In light of the fact that dentists may be held civilly liable for their practice, it is important to understand the current situation of lawsuits filed against these professionals by studying current legal decisions and the literature. The objective of this study was to analyze the case law of the Court of Justice of São Paulo, Brazil, relative to the profile of patients and professionals, the most commonly involved specialties, the amounts litigated and the court decisions pertaining to civil liability lawsuits against dentists. In an inductive approach, a single researcher screened and collected civil liability rulings by accessing the Court's website, and following a statistical-descriptive procedure and an indirect observation technique. The most frequently involved specialty was prosthodontics. However, oral and maxillofacial surgery was related to a higher incidence of damages awarded to settle claims and to higher damage amounts. The dentist was found guilty in 44.32% of the cases researched. Pecuniary damages ranged between R$ 485.50 and R$ 12,530.00, and non-pecuniary damages ranged between R$ 2,500.00 and R$ 70,000.00. Most lawsuits were filed by women against male dentists. An increase in the relative number of lawsuits against companies versus individuals was observed.

Civil liability: characterization of the demand for lawsuits against dentists

Abstract In light of the fact that dentists may be held civilly liable for their practice, it is important to understand the current situation of lawsuits filed against these professionals by studying current legal decisions and the literature. The objective of this study was to analyze the case law of the Court of Justice of São Paulo, Brazil, relative to the profile of patients and professionals, the most commonly involved specialties, the amounts litigated and the court decisions pertaining to civil liability lawsuits against dentists. In an inductive approach, a single researcher screened and collected civil liability rulings by accessing the Court's website, and following a statistical-descriptive procedure and an indirect observation technique. The most frequently involved specialty was prosthodontics. However, oral and maxillofacial surgery was related to a higher incidence of damages awarded to settle claims and to higher damage amounts. The dentist was found guilty in 44.32% of the cases researched. Pecuniary damages ranged between R$ 485.50 and R$ 12,530.00, and non-pecuniary damages ranged between R$ 2,500.00 and R$ 70,000.00. Most lawsuits were filed by women against male dentists. An increase in the relative number of lawsuits against companies versus individuals was observed.

Perspectives of dental students and faculty about evidence-based dental practice.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed at evaluating attitudes and perceptions of dental students and faculty toward evidence-based practice, integration of technology and social media, general practitioners' and specialists' scope of practice, and dental practice rewards and disadvantages. METHODS: A survey instrument was designed with 10 statements rated on a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree) and an optional comment section. The survey instrument was delivered through SurveyMonkey, whereby 401 students and 182 faculty members from ten U.S. dental schools participated (16% estimated response rate). Null hypotheses regarding the equality between the responses of the two groups were statistically tested using Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at .05. RESULTS: Evidence-based practice is positively perceived by both groups, but with significantly higher support by faculty than students (P = 0.002). Both groups agreed that technological advancements are advantageous (P = 0.95), but do not constitute good dentistry and cannot mask poor clinical skills. Students showed higher support for social media than faculty (P = 0.000). Both groups perceived group practices positively. Faculty members showed higher agreement than students toward limitation of dental specialists' practices to their specialties (P = 0.000). Both groups are aware of practice disadvantages, such as increased litigation, health risks, and detriment to the dentist's posture. However, they both perceive dental practice positively despite all these challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Students and faculty share generally comparable perspectives toward dental practice. They are both in agreement with evidence-based practice and adoption of technology. They both acknowledge practice limitations.

[The profile of the dentist in science and practice: based on the new dental licensure act]. / Zum Profil des Zahnarztes in Wissenschaft und Praxis : Die neue Approbationsordnung als Grundlage.

The profession of dentistry developed essentially based on the rapid progress of research in general. With the law of dentistry in 1952, the dentist became an independent profession in Germany. The EU directive 2005/36 for recognition of professional qualifications now regulates the requirements for practicing as a dentist in the European Union. Today, dentistry is a scientifically based medical discipline which has increased its preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic possibilities especially over the last 3 decades. The implementation is carried out in dental practice under the framework and basic conditions of present health care policy and conditions. A new order regulating licenses to practice dentistry is under development in which the first 2 years will be nearly identical with the studies of medicine and the medical licensure act. The closer orientation toward medicine is reasonable as more multimorbid patients will have a need for dental treatment in daily practice and co-operation with physicians will be more frequent in the future. New occupational profiles in dentistry are proposed above the level of a graduated dentist as well as below but also in completely new noncurative areas.

The status of oral and maxillofacial radiology worldwide in 2007.

The status of oral and maxillofacial radiology in other countries is often of importance when making an application for specialty recognition. This information has not previously been readily available. This paper presents the results of a survey to determine the status of oral and maxillofacial radiology worldwide in 2007.