Professional negligence in dental practice: Potential for civil and criminal liability in India

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Published Jun 1, 2009
https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2948.50880
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Volume 1, Issue 1, January-June 2009

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Ashith Acharya
Department of Forensic Odontology S. D. M. College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka
J Savitha
Department of Oral Pathology, S. D. M. College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka
Suresh Nadagoudar
Postgraduate Department of Studies in Law and Research, Bangalore University, Bangalore, Karnataka

Abstract

The doctor/dentist-patient relationship has transformed over the last two decades. Health professionals are increasingly viewed as providers of service for consideration. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) was enacted in 1986 for better protection of the interests of consumers as well as to provide a simple and quick mechanism for redressing consumer grievances. Since 1995, health professionals have been included within the ambit of the CPA, empowering the patient to file lawsuits (in case of perceived negligence) in consumer courts. This review explores the definitions of ′consumer′, ′services′, and ′negligence′, discussing their implications with respect to civil and criminal liability of dentists, while providing relevant case examples and court guidelines in landmark judgments. It is concluded that the potential for civil lawsuits against dentists for negligent actions is existent, although the prospect of a dentist being held liable for criminal negligence is low.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite
Ashith Acharya, J Savitha, & Suresh Nadagoudar. (2009). Professional negligence in dental practice: Potential for civil and criminal liability in India. Journal of Forensic Dental Sciences, 1(1), 02–07. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2948.50880
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