Decision Report 201506142

Summary

Mr C complained about how his new dentist communicated with him after taking over his care. He was also concerned that the dentist had failed to provide appropriate dental treatment to him over a number of appointments. The new dentist took over Mr C's care after his dental practice was sold to a new owner. Mr C advised he had not been told about the changes and felt uncomfortable.

After taking independent advice on this case from a dental adviser, we upheld Mr C's complaint regarding communication. The adviser explained that in order to obtain valid consent, patients must be given all options including the risks and benefits of each. We found that there was insufficient evidence that this had been done, particularly with regard to the option of extracting the tooth in question. The adviser also considered that there was a lack of evidence that the changes to staff providing Mr C's care had been properly explained to him, particularly after his treatment became problematic and required referral to a more experienced dentist at the practice. We made two recommendations to address the issues highlighted during the investigation. The adviser found no issues with the actual treatment that had been provided to Mr C by the dentist and so we did not uphold this element of his complaint.

Recommendations

We recommended that the dentist:

• review the process followed for obtaining patient consent and ensure this is in line with the General Dental Council Standards; and
• issue an apology for the standard of communication with Mr C.