Increase in number of dental complaints successfully defended
Although there has been an increase in the number of dental complaints over the past year, the majority of these have been defended successfully, according to the latest figures from the Dental Defence Union (DDU). The figures have revealed that no compensation is paid in just under 60% of dental complaints and claims.
The Medical Defence Union Annual Report for 2015 report claims that the DDU is defending more negligence claims successfully in 2015, despite the current adversarial climate.
“In 2015, we only paid compensation in just over 40% of dental claims, successfully defending the remaining almost 60%,” John Makin, head of the DDU, said.
“This is a good result, given that claimants’ solicitors carefully select the cases they believe are more likely to succeed,” he continued to say.
Makin also noted that “unmeritorious claims still take their toll on members and there is a considerable cost to the DDU in investigating and responding to so many of them.”
“Claims and complaints may be common,” he said, “but it would be wrong to conclude that this represents a deterioration in standards of care.
“The climate in which dental professionals work can often seem difficult, but professional standards are very high and our members continue to provide excellent care to the communities they serve.”
