A study of frequency and causes of complaints against dentists and experimental dentist' malpractices referred to Kashan general medical council from 2008-2019

 In dental treatment, sometimes the results and complications of treatment along with the failure of the dentist in establishing a professional relationship with the patient, can lead to dissatisfaction and complaints against the dentist. This study aimed to offering a picture of dental malpractices in Kashan.

 In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we assessed complaints against dentists and experimental dentists between 2008-2019 in Kashan. The study checklist includes complainant and therapist variables, type of treatment, and complaint variables. Data analysis was performed by SPSS-22 and Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests for qualitative variables and t-test and analysis of variance for quantitative variables.

 The results showed that 25(48%) of 52 complaints were proved to be medical malpractice. The mean age of complainants was 42.9±10.77 and 29 cases (55.8%) were women. Most practitioners that had complained of were male (82.7%). The frequency of complaints was related to general dentists (75%), experimental dentists (17%), and specialists (8%), respectively. 86.5% of complaints were related to private centers and 13.5% were related to governmental centers. The most common cause of complaints was dissatisfaction with treatment (96.2%) and the most type of malpractice was due to lack of expertise (32.7%).

 According to this study, one of the most important reasons for complaints against dental practitioners is the lack of communication between patients and dentists. Increasing scientific and technical skills and improving communication skills with patients can prevent many complaints.