title: Death in dental clinic: Indian scenario.
abstract: Deaths during dental treatment or as a result of dental treatment are rare, but the unfortunate fact is that such deaths do occur. Unexpected death of a patient can be emotionally draining and even harrowing to his or her relatives. The death of a patient may bring an enormous feeling of anxiety both at the personal and professional level, stress, profound grief, damage to self-esteem, loss of self-confidence, reputation, and specter of litigation on a dental surgeon. No dentist can be guaranteed to be free of such an incident during the course of his or her practice. The dentist should respond in a compassionate and respectful manner in case of such unfortunate tragic events, and also ensure self-protection. This article emphasizes on prevention of such incidents and throws some light on how to respond in case of an unfortunate death in a dental clinic, including the medico-legal aspects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rajarajeswari Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Kedarnath Nakkalahalli
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Seshappa
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rajarajeswari Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Shruthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rangaswamy
keywords: Death; dental clinic; medical negligence; medico-legal; vicarious liability