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Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision
Published on: April 29, 2014
Uncovering diagnostic errors in dentistry through critical incident reports: a mixed-methods analysis
Sanam Faheem1, Rimsha Qasim2, Syed Jaffar Abbas Zaidi3
1Department of Oral Biology, Dow Dental College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan. sanam.faheem@duhs.edu.pk.
BMC Health Services Research
|June 11, 2026
Summary
Dental diagnostic errors are frequent and urgent, often stemming from resource and training gaps. Structured incident reporting can improve patient safety and diagnostic workflows in dental practice.
Area of Science:
- Dental Medicine
- Patient Safety
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Diagnostic errors and near misses pose significant risks to patient safety in dental settings.
- Service delivery standards in Sindh mandate documentation and review of critical incidents to enhance patient safety.
- Incident reporting serves as a crucial platform for identifying and addressing adverse events and diagnostic failures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe incident patterns in dental practice using critical incident reports.
- To identify common diagnostic domains, contributing factors, and recurrence rates of adverse events.
- To analyze associations between incident characteristics and urgency, and explore qualitative themes.
Main Methods:
- A sequential mixed-methods study analyzed 300 de-identified critical incident reports from Karachi.
- Quantitative analysis involved chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests, and logistic regression to assess associations with urgency.
- Qualitative analysis included reflexive thematic analysis of narrative fields and face-to-face interviews with 20 reporters.
Main Results:
- 57.7% of incidents were classified as urgent, with 96.3% requiring corrective action.
- Pulp diseases, periodontal ligament diseases, and temporomandibular joint disorders were the most frequent diagnostic domains involved.
- Key contributing factors included lack of diagnostic resources, insufficient postgraduate training, and deficiencies in undergraduate teaching.
Conclusions:
- The critical incident registry reveals recurrent, high-urgency patterns linked to resource and training limitations.
- Structured incident reporting is a valuable tool for teaching triage, escalation, and safer diagnostic processes.
- Implementing these improvements can lead to safer and more effective dental care.
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