Can we do it better? Consent in dentoalveolar surgery.

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Medical Law
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Informed consent is a cornerstone of medical and dental practice.
• Dentoalveolar surgery involves complex oral anatomy, presenting significant risks.
• Inadequate consent documentation is linked to increased litigation in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To audit the quality of informed consent documentation for dentoalveolar surgery.
• To develop and propose a standardized consent form to improve risk disclosure.
• To enhance patient care and mitigate medico-legal risks for OMFS clinicians.

Main Methods:

• Audit of dentoalveolar surgery consent forms across two UK OMFS units.
• Development of a standardized consent form incorporating a comprehensive list of procedure-specific risks.
• Proposal for wider adoption of the standardized form within OMFS.

Main Results:

• Many existing consent forms inadequately documented material risks associated with dentoalveolar procedures.
• A novel standardized form was created to address identified documentation gaps.
• The proposed form aims to standardize the consent process and improve risk communication.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing informed consent forms in OMFS is essential for patient safety and legal protection.
• The developed standardized form can improve the documentation of material risks in dentoalveolar surgery.
• Adoption of this form can optimize patient care and reduce medico-legal claims in OMFS.