Misguided fear

In February’s issue of The Dentist, there was an interesting article written about litigation in dentistry by Michael Sultan titled, ‘Living in Fear?’ This article is a direct response to the issues raised in this article, from my perspective as a young dentist who also acts as an expert witness in dento-legal

cases.

I sympathise with the author’s concerns regarding the General Dental Council; if I were to be investigated by the GDC, I am in no doubt that I would be left traumatised and demoralised. I think that there is a fear within the dental community that there is the possibility a sledgehammer will be used to crack walnuts when it comes to an enquiry into a dental professional’s performance. However, this being said, I believe the general response of aggrieved patients is not to go immediately to the GDC and complain. I have come across this just once with a colleague; and the patient who launched the complaint even apologised to him at a later date as they had no idea of the magnitude of the investigation that would be initiated. This is however the minority, the GDC usually only become involved after complaints at practice level have been dealt with poorly.