Consent in dental practice – Some points

A small piece of useful n practical advice about Consent
Top Ten consent tips
Dentists are responsible for performing procedures that may have some impact, whether major or minor, on the health and wellbeing of their patients. As a means of enhancing the autonomy of patients, dentist has to obtain patients’ informed consent for all treatment. Regardless of the quality of the dental work and the outcome of the procedure, dentists may become subject to formal complaints if they fail to obtain informed consent. Based on our extensive experience providing legal advice to dentists and representing them in regulatory proceedings, we have prepared the below list of 10 legal tips for obtaining consent in dentistry.

1. Always obtain consent prior to treatment
Dentists are legally required to obtain patient consent for every procedure, no matter how minor.

-1. The consent must relate to the treatment;
-2. The consent must be informed;
-3. The consent must be given voluntarily; and
-4. The consent must not be obtained through misrepresentation or fraud.

According to the legislation and Government policies, consent cannot be obtained retroactively, and must be obtained before initiating treatment.

To be contiued…….