Quantifying Dental Office-Originating Adverse Events: The Dental Practice Study Methods.

Area of Science:

• Dental Practice
• Patient Safety
• Medical Error Epidemiology

Background:

• Preventable medical errors are a leading cause of death in hospitals.
• Harm in outpatient settings, including dental care, is less understood.
• The frequency and demographic disparities of iatrogenic harm in dentistry are largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency and types of adverse events (AEs) in dental practice.
• To assess the feasibility and efficiency of a multistaged review process for detecting AEs.
• To understand the epidemiology of dental AEs and identify at-risk populations.

Main Methods:

• Initiated the Dental Practice Study (DPS) using retrospective chart audits.
• Conducted a 6-month pilot phase to refine the review process.
• Employed multiple reviewers and an expert panel to abstract and confirm AEs.

Main Results:

• 3 probable adverse events (AEs) were detected per 100 patients per year.
• A total of 56 probable AEs were identified from 300 audited patient charts.
• Patients experiencing AEs were more likely to be male, older, and have had multiple procedures.

Conclusions:

• The pilot phase demonstrated the feasibility of the DPS methodology.
• Understanding the frequency and population-specific impact of dental AEs is crucial for patient safety.
• Further research is needed to minimize threats to dental patient safety.