title: Dentists, malpractice and not knowing enough: legal liability for failing to keep up with the profession.
abstract: The law imposes an obligation on you to keep current with the developments of your profession, particularly those developments which directly affect the health of your patients. From a legal perspective, you risk liability when your professional inquisitiveness and awareness falls below that of the reasonable specialist. While there is a substantial risk of being overwhelmed by the explosion of new dental knowledge, the alternative of being sued for malpractice is less attractive.
authors.affiliation: Health Law Practice Group, Emery Jamieson, Edmonton, Alberta.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Maxston
mesh_terms: D001955:British Columbia; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012308:Risk Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence