DT News - UK - Recent survey reveals nine in ten dentists fear being sued by patients

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 29 October 2018

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LONDON, UK: In an ever increasingly competitive world, anxiety around legal ramifications in the workplace due to any number of reasons may also be increasing. Dental practitioners are highly susceptible to lawsuits, and a new survey recently found that in the UK nine out of ten dentists are fearful of being sued by their patients. The survey ran from 8 March 2018 to 25 March 2018 and received 1,129 responses.

As reported by the Daily Telegraph in 2017, “no win, no fee” lawyers were targeting dentists, with the dental industry seeing a rise in the number of claims being made. According to the report, this was highest around areas of periodontal disease, due to the cases tending to have the largest payouts.

In the recent survey by Dental Protection, a global not-for-profit protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals, it was revealed that from the members who took part, not only were 89 per cent worried about lawsuits, but three quarters felt this impacted the way they practised. Additionally, 64 per cent felt they made more referrals due to the increased risks of legal action.

“Dentists work in an increasingly challenging environment. It is worrying that three out of four full-time general dental practitioners fear being sued by patients and, understandably, this will undoubtedly impact on the way they practise, and add to already high stress levels,” said Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection.

According to Dental Protection, the survey also revealed that nearly all those surveyed believe that society is becoming increasingly litigious, with 79 per cent concerned about the impact this is having on their health, and 77 per cent noting an increase in stress and anxiety.

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