Don’t crack under pressure

The current threat of litigation in dentistry today has created a climate of fear for many dental professionals. Legal claims and complaints by the public and legal profession to the General Dental Council about dental professionals are increasing from year to year. Complaints regarding fitness to practise to the GDC rose an astounding 500 per cent in the period 2005 to 2015. Apprehension about the very real possibility of litigation is leading some dentists to consider early retirement; every dentist in the UK (outside of Scotland) can expect to face at least two lawsuits during their career. The trend to litigiousness is reflected in soaring dental indemnity costs for new graduates; they have increased tenfold between 1999 and 2016.

Root canal surgery, naturally, can lead to litigation in some cases, and again there appears to be an upward trend. It is among the most disquieting procedures for patients, mostly due to the fear of pain during and after the repair of the infected tooth. The British Endodontic Society, founded in 1963, has set as its mission the improvement of endodontic information and care in the UK. Its website includes testimonials from patients who admit their initial fear of perceived pain from the procedure but found it was not the case. Reducing pain and realising an effective outcome involves good practice from the clinician. However, studies in recent years have suggested that UK dentists failed to comply with the current best practice of the European Society of Endodontology (ESE), whose quality guidelines include history, diagnosis and treatment planning; record keeping; infection control; maintenance of pulp vitality and assessment of the endodontic treatment.