Patient complaints of dental malpractice in Denmark 1983-86

A system for handling complaints of dental malpractice was established in 1983 in an agreement between the Danish Dental Association and the National Health Insurance. Description is given of the system comprising county dental complaints boards and a national dental complaints board. Reports of all complaints directed to the boards during the first 3 1/2 years were analyzed: 533 complaints to the county boards and 111 appeals to the national board. The complaints corresponded to 5 complaints per 100 dentists per year with considerable regional variation. Most complaints were reported in fixed and removable prosthetics, and most claims were of an economic nature. Almost two-thirds of the complaints were supported by the boards. Themes for further study as well as certain problems concerning consumer satisfaction weighed against the responsibility to survey dentists' work are pointed out.