General description of the work Dental Surgeons undertake
Dental Surgeons (Dentists) deal with tooth and gum disease and general problems relating to the teeth. They deal with fillings, tooth abscesses, bridges, tooth extraction and tooth decay. Some have a special interest in gum disease (periodontology). Others have an interest in tooth realignment (orthodontistry).


Most common clinical areas / procedures leading to a claim of clinical negligence
• Problems relating to tooth extraction
• Bridge problems
• Dentures problems.
• Gum problems
• Tooth infection and abscesses and their management


Sub-Specialities / Alternative and Additional job titles
The Dental Surgeon may also be known as a Dentist or a General Dental Practitioner. If he/she has a particular interest in gum disease he/she may be known as a Periodontist. If he/she has a special interest in tooth realignment he/she may be known as an Orthodontist.


Usual Qualifications
The Dental Surgeon will normally have BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) after his/her name.
There is some overlap between the work done by Dental Surgeons and work done by Consultant Maxillo-Facial Surgeons. Consultant Maxillo-Facial Surgeons are qualified as Doctors as well as Dental Surgeons and tend to undertake more specialised surgery on the jaw and surrounding structures.


Academic Appointments
The Dental Surgeon may hold a Lecturership or Professorship in a branch of Dentistry at a University Dental School.


Our Experts
The Dental Surgeons who prepare reports on medical negligence cases on our behalf are all in active clinical practice and they are experienced at preparing medico-legal reports. They are willing to attend Court in the UK and Ireland provided that they are given enough notice and that their fees and expenses for attending are agreed in advance.
Each of the Dental Surgeons who prepare reports on our behalf has particular areas of clinical interest within his/her practice and we match each case with the most appropriate Dental Surgeon.


The Report
The Dental Surgeons prepare their Reports for the benefit of the Courts. In other words, they prepare unbiased Reports in order to help the Court to decide the case, rather than to help one side or the other.
The Dental Surgeons examine all the documentation and details of the case and look at the standard of care that the Client received. They then give their opinion on whether or not the standard of care that the Client received fell below the standard of care he/she should have received.
Where necessary they provide background documentation and information to back-up their opinion.


Documentation required
The most important documentation is the Client’s Dental Records. This documentation will contain the Records of their attendances with their Dental Surgeon and details of any treatment or procedures they underwent. There is likely to be X-ray films and copies of these will be of help to the Dental Surgeon when he is compiling his Report. If the Client was referred to a Hospital Dental Clinic then records from the Clinic will also be helpful for the preparation of the Report.
An account of events by the Client and/or the Client’s family will be of assistance to the Dental Surgeon. Copies of the Client’s Attendances with their Solicitor will also help to clarify the areas of care that are at issue in the case.


Time-scale for the Report
Once we have confirmation to proceed with the Report the Dental Surgeons can usually prepare their Reports within 8 to 10 weeks. If a Report is needed urgently we will endeavour to have it prepared sooner than this.


Price of the Report
Once we receive all the documentation we will provide you with a quotation for the price of the Report from the Dental Surgeon. If you decide to go ahead with the Report we will have it prepared and we will forward it to you on receipt of payment.
If you decide not to go ahead with the Report after receiving the quotation we will return all the documentation to you and there is no charge.


Queries on the Report / Addendums
The Reports from the Dental Surgeons are usually very clear and give a concise opinion on the standard of care the Client received.
If minor clarifications are needed then these will be provided at no extra cost.
If, after the Report has been completed, additional documentation needs to be examined by the Dental Surgeon or if additional work needs to be done in order to provide an Addendum to the Report, then there may be an additional charge. If so, we will inform you of this and only proceed with your approval.


Client Examination
The Dental Surgeons do not normally need to see the Client in order to prepare a Report on the standard of care he/she has received. They can usually prepare their Report from the case notes and other documentation.
If the case does progress and a Report is needed on the Client’s current condition and/or prognosis for the future, then the Client may need to be seen by the Dental Surgeon for an examination and we can make the necessary arrangements.