title: [The medicolegal aspects of informed consent in the dental treatment of the handicapped patient].
abstract: The authors reiterate the necessity of informed consent in medical and surgical care. The importance of patient's consent is represented by significance that law grants to the psychic and physical health of the citizen and to his right to be protected. This paper considers the problem of informed consent relatively to the dental therapy of handicapped patient, that can't always undergo an operation in ambulatory and that often needs to be cured with general anaesthesia. The patients causing more difficulties to the doctors, with regard to the acquisition of informed consent, certainly are persons of unsound mind and subjects with sensorial alterations. In fact, for the others, is admitted a volitive and cognitive capacity resembling to their age. Certainly, it's possible to obtain a sufficient management of this patient's category. Finally, the authors underline the importance of prevention to improve dental status of the handicapped, and to avoid increase of patients that come to medical observation when their pathology needs of treatment with general anaesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Universitè degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giordano Orsini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Del Vecchio
mesh_terms: D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007558:Italy; D010349:Patient Compliance
vernacular_title: Aspetti medico-legali del consenso informato nel trattamento odontoiatrico del paziente portatore di handicap.