title: Common mistakes, negligence and legal offences in paediatric dentistry: a self-report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the type and relative prevalence of mistakes, negligence and legal offences (MNLOs) performed or nearly performed by paediatric dentists during their entire career.
  
  
  METHODS
  The population consisted of 25 (29.4%) certified and 48 (56.5%) non-certified paediatric dentists, and 12 (14.1%) residents in paediatric dentistry. A structured anonymous questionnaire accessed occupational characteristics and frequencies of MNLOs (0, 1-4, 5-10, >10).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most prevalent MNLOs related to the performance of radiographs: bite-wings with overlapping teeth (90%), overturned film (30%), film over-exposure (48%), faulty film development (84%) and exposure of the same side of film twice (32%). Other MNLOs were drilling an intact tooth (37%), misdiagnosing existing radiographic caries (63%), anaesthetising the wrong tooth (49%), accidental incision of the cheek/lips during treatment (73%), administering an incorrect dose of antibiotic (49%) or analgesics (24%), extracting the wrong tooth (15%), documenting the wrong tooth in the patient's file (63%), and a child swallowing an instrument (33%) or clasp (15%). Prevalent MNLOs included administering sedation to a child who had not fasted (32%), sedating without monitoring (9%), treating children without receiving signed parental consent (15%) and losing a radiograph (64%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MNLOs occur commonly during various operative dental treatments. Means to raise awareness and to implement regulations should be addressed to limit these mistakes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. malka.ashkenazi@gmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ashkenazi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bijaoui
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blumer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008318:Malpractice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry; D057566:Self Report