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Publications, case reports and resources
Case study 13/01/2016

The day my patient nearly died

The day my patient nearly died

Time to read article: 6 mins
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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...

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Case study 15/12/2015

My first year in practice: a country change

My first year in practice: a country change

Time to read article: 4 mins
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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...

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Case study 14/10/2015

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Time to read article: 4 mins
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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.

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Case study 18/09/2015

Would you like Endone on the side?

Would you like Endone on the side?

Time to read article: 4 mins
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As a fresh graduate, I started working in the public system in a small country town with another graduate and a mentor/senior dentist who would come by a few times a month to extract wisdom teeth.

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Press release 02/03/2015

Parliamentary & Health Services Ombudsman consultation on principles...

Parliamentary & Health Services Ombudsman consultation on principles of good complaint handling

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The document Principles of Good Complaint Handling sets out the Ombudsman's views on the key principles of good complaints handling. Although the information contained within the document is largely factual in nature, a number of issues arise from it.

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Articles and features 19/01/2015

Complaints handling - quick facts

Complaints handling - quick facts

Time to read article: 3 mins
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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.

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Press release 12/01/2015

GDC consultation on indemnity rules

GDC consultation on indemnity rules

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Yes. In general, the arrangements outlined are reasonable and appropriate. However, the GDC should be aware that MDOs will be unable to be specific about the indemnity arrangements until registration has taken place and they are consequently able to be accepted as a member of that MDO.

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Articles and features 10/11/2014

GDC Standards for the Dental Team

GDC Standards for the Dental Team

Time to read article: 1 mins
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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.

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Press release 03/11/2014

GDC consultation on proposed amendments to Fitness to Practise proced...

GDC consultation on proposed amendments to Fitness to Practise procedures

Time to read article: 1 mins
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Dental Protection broadly welcomes the proposals made in this consultation because we feel that a radical change of approach, and culture change, is needed within GDC fitness to practise (FtP) procedures. If in order to make the necessary culture changes, the proposed Section 60 Order is required, then we will support them. However, in order to ensure that these proposals have the intended impact the GDC must be committed to taking full advantage of these new powers.

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Press release 05/09/2014

GDC consultation on proposals to increase the annual retention fee

GDC consultation on proposals to increase the annual retention fee

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On this occasion the GDC has justified the unprecedented scale of the increase in the ARF primarily on the basis of the increase in the number of complaints that it has to deal with. In calculating its likely operating costs, the GDC has also predicted that this volume of incoming ‘complaints’ will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, and appears to have assumed that the number of Fitness to Practise (FtP) investigations will need to rise at least in proportion to this.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Tooth surface loss

Tooth surface loss

Time to read article: 4 mins
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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.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Post-operative instructions

Post-operative instructions

Time to read article: 3 mins
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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.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Co-operation & compliance

Co-operation & compliance

Time to read article: 4 mins
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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.

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27/08/2014

Recording pain

Recording pain

Time to read article: 3 mins
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One of the advantages of keeping careful and detailed records of a patient’s pain history is that it highlights significant changes and developments in the features of the patient’s symptoms which can, in turn, lead the clinician to the correct diagnosis.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Monitoring early caries

Monitoring early caries

Time to read article: 4 mins
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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.

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Articles and features 27/08/2014

Periodontal monitoring

Periodontal monitoring

Time to read article: 4 mins
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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.

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26/08/2014

Patient information

Patient information

Time to read article: 4 mins
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In case after case, the question arises of what information a patient was given in advance of their treatment. Obviously, this is material to the quality of the consent obtained from the patient, and yet dentists, hygienists and therapists often find themselves unable to demonstrate with any certainty, exactly what the patient was told, when, and in what terms.

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Articles and features 26/08/2014

Communications between dentists and technicians

Communications between dentists and technicians

Time to read article: 4 mins
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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.

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