Death in dental clinic: Indian scenario

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Kedarnath Nakkalahalli Seshappa
Shruthi Rangaswamy

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.

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How to Cite
Kedarnath Nakkalahalli Seshappa, & Shruthi Rangaswamy. (2016). Death in dental clinic: Indian scenario. Journal of Forensic Dental Sciences, 8(2), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-1475.186376

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