Prevalence and causes of dental malpractice in Khorramabad, Iran during 2012-2016

Abstract

Background: Dental malpractice claims have increased in recent years. Investigating the reasons for dental malpractice can help dentists overcome this issue by providing high-quality service and promoting patient safety. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of malpractice in dentistry in Khorramabad, Iran and its possible reasons. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we examined all closed cases of dental malpractice registered by the forensic medicine organization and the medical system in Khorramabad, Iran during 2012-2016, and evaluated contributing factors including demographic factors and type of malpractice. Data analysis was performed in SPSS v.22 software. Results: Out of 73 complaint cases, 65 were evaluated in this study. The mean age of patients was 33.49±10.65. Most of complainants were female (59.3%) aged 30-45 years (41.5%), with a university degree (26.2%), residing in urban areas (70.8%). The maximum interval between the time of treatment and the time of complaint registration was less than one year (72.1%). The majority of complaints were against male dentists (87.5%) with general dentistry education (54.7%). The most frequent final verdict was the malpractice of dentist (49.1%). The majority of malpractices were from negligence type (32%), and most of the complaints were related to performing surgery alone (33.8%). Conclusion: Most of the dentists with malpractice in Khorramabad city are male general dentists, mostly in the field of surgery. Most of complainants are females. To reduce the incidence of dental malpractice and limit their consequences, it is necessary to develop control strategies and promote the education and training of dental practitioners.