“ Understanding how to use digital dentistry correctly requires experience and learning at the analog level . ”
have a negative impact on patient safety and are particularly common in dental surgeons . A superiority bias makes dentists think they are better than other dentists and gives them a feeling of invincibility and infallibility that evokes the adage : “ I never make mistakes , and it will never happen to me .” This means that if a mistake were to happen , they would not own up to it , or worse , would still not recognize the mistake at all . Such behaviors , with lack of understanding and fear of retribution , are the main barriers to reporting mishaps in dentistry , which is further compromised if there are no appropriate and easy to use reporting systems .
Do you remember the last time you made a clinical error ?
Prof . Wright : A few weeks ago , I had to cancel a surgical appointment and rebook the patient because the surgical guide could not be found . Our normal protocol is to check everything a couple of days before , but on this occasion the surgical guide was not listed as a required tool . The team had not checked the records and did not realize it was needed . As they explained , “ Right now we are just so busy !” I had to take the comment to heart and revisit how we do things and include the point on the pre-operative check list . Using the WHO surgical checklist , which we have adopted for dental use , can be helpful . ⁴
Dr . Darbar : I have been seeing a patient with learning difficulties for many years . Her last appointment had made before Covid pandemic and lockdown . I made three attempts at undertaking a telephone consultation , all unsuccessful , so I advised our administration team to contact the patient . The next thing I knew was that the patient ’ s father had made a formal complaint about how his daughter had been treated . The letter stated that I had refused to see the patient and had asked for her to be discharged . I was shocked and taken aback . I looked into what had gone on and unbeknown to me , the patient had been contacted by our administration team saying she was discharged . The complaint was resolved when I saw the patient with her father and explained the circumstances .
Are Human Factors taught in dental schools ?
Human Factors were only considered later on well into the professional lives of clinicians . However , as awareness of its importance to patient safety has risen , it is now being included in the undergraduate curriculum . But the way the topic is delivered varies by university , and most teach it as a separate module when it should underpin all core modules .
In the UK at foundation level , immediate post registration training has now introduced Human Factors as a key learning concept , and both the National Health Services and Health Education England have embraced it in their concordance as well as in their safety agendas . Our Board is working with regulators to ensure that Human Factors is an integrated component in UK dental curricula .
What role does social media play ?
It is a powerful tool in raising awareness and sharing information . However , if not used properly , social media could also be detrimental to the cause . It can help raise awareness that human factors encompass a number of components of which latent factors are major in dentistry . It can also be used to drive a mindset change and help clinicians move away from worry and fear about litigation , regulation and being judged by their peers , while also promoting the concept of “ sharing is caring .”
Machines make fewer mistakes than humans . Will digital be the future of dentistry ?
Machines are subject to human error , either in their programming or operation . Digital workflows will change how we do dentistry , but in highly complex cases where they are most useful , there are significant limitations . Digital dentistry is a double-edged sword . It can simplify treatments only if the clinicians know what they are doing . To understand how to use digital dentistry correctly requires experience and learning at the analog level . Without this , it would be impossible to know where the mistakes can happen or have happened . After all , our patients will never be “ digital ,” and dentists attempting procedures beyond their skills but relying on digital workflows can create more complications than solutions .
References 1 Wright S , et al .: Faculty Dent J 2018 ; 9 : 14 – 19 . 2 Renouard F , et al .: Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants .
2017 ; 32 ( 2 ): e55-e61 . 3 ‘ Human factors ’ board releases position paper .
Br Dent J . 2020 Jul ; 229 ( 1 ): 11 . 4 Wright S , et al .: Br Dent J . 2018 19 . Epub ahead of print . doi : 10.1038 / sj . bdj . 2018.861
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