CDA talk on reducing legal exposure; finding the right curing light

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

While the number of malpractice lawsuits involving dentists may be on the decline, the jury awards in those that do go to trial seem to be on the rise.

A South Carolina jury awards a patient $2 million after a dentist pulled all of her top teeth. A Washington jury gives a patient $14.8 million after jaw surgery left her disabled and disfigured. A California jury awards a patient $1.7 million after they determine that 3D imaging could have avoided a misplaced dental implant and permanent facial pain.

In each of these cases, the verdict hinged on the interpretation of informed consent and standard of care, according to Edwin Zinman, D.D.S., J.D., in a lecture at the California Dental Association (CDA) fall meeting in San Francisco today. Click here to read more, and stay tuned for more daily coverage from the CDA show.

In other news, environmental laws are beginning to restrict halogen light bulb sales, which will force the dental community to consider alternatives such as LEDs and plasma arc. But the type of light you use is less important than knowing how to use it, according to Fred Rueggeberg, D.D.S., M.S., director of the dental materials section at the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry and a polymerization researcher. Read more.

On the clinical front, a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology of more than 15,000 Swedish twins found that common genetic factors slightly predispose some individuals to develop both periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. Read more.

And more from two of our Second Opinion columnists: Comic/dentist Jimmy Earll wonders why anyone would want to skip the live-patient clinical component of their board exams, while Dr. Helaine Smith spotlights the public's all-too-often negative perception of dentists and what the profession itself should do about it.