Decision report 201201920

Summary

Mrs C, an advocacy worker, complained on behalf of Ms A about the care and treatment she received at the dental practice when her upper right second molar was extracted. After the extraction, Ms A experienced extreme pain. Her face started to swell and she felt physically sick. She contacted NHS 24 and attended the dental hospital for treatment. Ms A said that the dentist had failed to explain the risk associated with the removal of the tooth and made an error when extracting the tooth. She also felt the dentist had not provided an adequate response to her complaint.

We upheld two of Ms C's three complaints. Our investigation found that the dentist had failed to explain the risks involved, and we noted that x-rays were not taken, after difficulties with the extraction were recognised. We also found that there was not enough detail in the dental records and that, while the dentist provided accurate information in responding to Ms A, the response was incomplete because of the inadequate level of detail. However, we found no evidence that an error was made when extracting the tooth, and noted that the complications that occurred were a well recognised complication of the extraction of upper molars.

Recommendations

We recommended that the dentist:

• apologises to Ms A for the issues highlighted in our investigation;
• reviews her clinical dental practice in relation to this complaint, taking into account our adviser's comments, and provides the Ombudsman with confirmation that she has done so; and
• ensures that dental records are in accordance with General Dental Council standards including obtaining informed consent.