Medical errors leading to adverse events can occur in dentistry. The
literature indicates that such errors broadly include: errors related to the
prescription of medication, errors based on neglecting current scientific
evidence regarding treatment, errors occurring during treatment or
associated with improper maintenance of equipment, errors based
on failure to properly maintain patient records, errors arising from the
failure to acquire informed consent, the failure to establish and maintain
appropriate infection control measures, the failure to properly diagnose,
the failure to prevent accidents or complications associated with care or
to pursue appropriate follow-up care when they occur, and the failure to
follow authoritative dictates reflecting current standard of care or practice
rules or regulations established by individual state laws. This course
reviews the most common medical errors likely to occur in the practice of
dentistry.