Section 3. Liability Protection

Common Risk-Management Issues

There are a number of issues that are not unique to safety net dental clinics but are common. The most common accusations of malpractice are related to:

• Lack of informed consent
• Failure to diagnose
• Lack of a thorough exam
• Failure to follow up on emergencies
• Treatment of the wrong tooth
• Surgical complications
• Removable prosthetics
• Lack of or inadequate treatment plan
• Incomplete treatment
• Inappropriate procedures

Resource

• NNOHA’s Operations Manual for Health Center Oral Health Programs, Chapter 4, pp. 6–12.