Case studies

Wooden figures behind clock
The human cost of delays in GDC investigations

8 August 2022

DDU solicitor Tamsin Thomas examines two cases that demonstrate the impact of GDC investigation delays on members.

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Diagnosis of aggressive periodontitis

21 February 2020

The DDU supported a member when they faced a claim alleging a failure to diagnose and treat periodontal disease in a young patient who had been attending the member's practice for two years.

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Jaw dislocation

8 October 2019

A patient brought a claim alleging that a DDU member had failed to appropriately use a mouth clamp during a crown preparation, leading to a dislocation of the jaw and the need for treatment under general anaesthetic to relocate it.

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Fractured crown

17 September 2019

The DDU was able to successfully defend a member who faced a claim alleging a failure to identify and treat caries and fit a satisfactory crown, resulting in crown fracture, infection and tooth extraction.

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Neuropraxia

9 September 2019

A patient brought a claim alleging that a DDU member caused them to suffer neuropraxia during the extraction of their LR7, and either misplaced dental instruments or caused damage to the mucosa.

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Weekend work

30 August 2019

A DDU member called the advice line with a query about limited staffing arrangements for weekend working.

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Inappropriate orthodontic treatment

16 August 2019

A DDU dentist faced a claim after a patient alleged a failure to assess his periodontal condition before starting orthodontic treatment, and a failure to detect the periodontal attachment and bone loss that subsequently occurred.

Considerations of patients
Considerations of patients' best interests

14 August 2019

A DDU member asked for advice around their obligations to a patient who wanted cosmetic treatment overseas, which the member thought was not in the patient's best interests.

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Non-clinically justified radiograph

14 August 2019

A DDU adviser was able to guide a member through a query about a request for a non-clinically justified radiograph that had been made by a patient in relation to a claim being pursued against another dentist.

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Advice on leaving a practice

14 August 2019

A DDU associate member called for advice after the practice owners said he wasn't allowed to tell patients was he planning to leave, because of the impact they feared it might have on those patients' practice payment plans.