title: Knowledge and awareness of the Consumer Protection Act among dental professionals in India: A systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The medical profession has been included in the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), to protect the interests of the patients in case of any unethical treatment rendered by the doctor. The present systematic review was conducted to assess the knowledge and awareness of CPA among dental professionals in India.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of relevant cross-sectional observational studies was conducted regarding the level of knowledge and awareness of CPA among dental professionals in India. Five studies out of 44 were finally included in the present review, after conducting both an electronic and manual search of scientific databases. The potential biases were reported and appropriate data was extracted by the concerned investigators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 90% of the study subjects in one of the studies were aware of the CPA, as compared to other studies. In two studies, when queried about the correct time period during which a patient can sue a doctor, very few subjects (18 and 23.2%) answered correctly. Almost 90% of the subjects were taking some form of consent in one of the studies. Private practitioners had more awareness as compared to academicians and combined practitioners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present review showed that a majority of the subjects were aware of the existence of CPA, but knowledge about the basic rules and regulations was lacking in a few studies. Therefore, dental professionals need to keep themselves updated on the various rules and latest amendments to save themselves from any litigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Gurminder
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Public Health Dentistry, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Ramandeep Singh
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Gambhir
authors.affiliation: Public Health Dentistry, Gian Sagar Dental College and Hospital, Rajpura, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Simarpreet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Bhojia Dental College and Hospital, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Puneet Singh
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Talwar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics, National Dental College and Hospital, Dera Bassi, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Vaibhav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Munjal
keywords: Awareness; consumer protection act; dental professional; knowledge; litigation