Patient consent procedures for dental care

Informed consent is a poorly developed concept in dentistry. The dentist should initiate discussion on the information reasonable patients may need to make a decision on a specific treatment or on whether they will accept treatment from that particular dentist. As a minimum, dentists should be required to explain the treatment, benefits, and probable complications as well as possible alternatives. Increasingly, malpractice actions are being decided on these grounds and, thus far, little guidance is available to conscientious dental practitioner.