[Legal responsibility of the dentist in life-threatening incidents]

Emergencies in the dental office or outside of it are not infrequent. Hemmorrhages, cardiopulmonal failure and the syndrome of lack of breath constitute life endangering emergencies. The dentist must be able to cope with them by adequate prophylactic and therapeutic measures which must be learned by contuous education. Also, certain basic materials must be available immediately in the office. If and when such an emergency occurs, patient and family of the patient must be told the complete story. In case of death, the police must be called even if the dentist is convinced of his innocence. In order to be covered against liability claims, an insurance is mandatory. Such insurance covers the dentist not only against justified claims but also against unjustified ones.