Every year, Dental Protection assists members in responding to complaints and claims where it is alleged that there was a failure to identify and appropriately manage ectopic canines. Successful defence of these claims relies heavily on the detail contained within the clinical records.

When planning your elective, its essential to stay organised and have the right measures in place to help make your experience as stress free as possible. Here's our list of top 10 things to consider before and during your trip.

Working in dentistry has its ups and downs, so it’s important to do the things that help you stay happy at work.

Patients will not necessarily be in a position to differentiate between you, as a dental student, and a fully qualified dentist – so it’s up to you to make sure they know who you are.

Good dentists are good communicators – it’s that simple. Our experience over many years is that mistakes in practice can happen as a result of poor communication. Developing both your teamwork and communication skills at dental school will stand you in good stead as a dentist.

If you have ever been unfortunate enough to receive a letter of claim, you will be aware of how stressful the process can be. Another aspect is the often high sums of money involved. Stephen Preater, costs adviser at Dental Protection, is part of an expert in-house team that is dedicated to controlling the amounts sought by claimants

Managing a patient’s expectations starts and finishes with good communication

A recent Supreme Court decision has raised questions about the role of non-clinical staff in patient care. The judgment criticised the actions of a receptionist in an Accident and Emergency (A&E) department – Joseph McCaughley, litigation solicitor at Dental Protection, looks at the ramifications of the case

We have made a list of the things to remember when it comes to making and retaining good patient records.

November is mouth cancer awareness month – a cancer that currently affects over 8,300 people a year in the UK, and resulted in 2,722 people in the UK losing their life in 2017. The number of people affected by mouth cancer has increased almost 50% in the last ten years

In today’s media-driven society, the boundaries between private and professional life are becoming increasingly blurred. In such a fast-moving environment, it’s all too easy to forget that the same standards of professionalism and confidentiality apply no matter what the medium of communication.

Robert Caplin, senior teaching fellow, King’s College London, looks at how properly weighing up the various factors in a decision can benefit both practitioner and patient.

Dr Raj Rattan, Dental Director, discusses how to effectively reflect on clinical practice and its importance for risk management.

When a patient complains, what are they trying to achieve – an apology, a remedy, an expression of sympathy or empathy, accountability or just revenge? Jane Merivale, head of policy and technical at Dental Protection, looks at when financial redress can be the correct course of action.