Current thinking about medicolegal aspects of temporomandibular joint surgery

This paper considers the current situation regarding medicolegal risks in temporomandibular joint surgery from three perspectives: the law, the patient, and the surgeon. The law relating to successful claims of clinical negligence requires that a cause-and-effect relationship is demonstrated by the claimant. Complications are considered in the light of recent research on their stratification in other fields of surgery. Surgeons become repeat offenders rarely. They display certain common characteristics which are discussed in this paper.