ADA General Meeting - March 2020 - The Challenges of Dental Complaint Resolution for Auckland Dentists

Patients in New Zealand enjoy a standard of oral therapy undreamed of in previous generations. But just as fluoridation, modern technology and advances in care have improved the state of our teeth, our expectations as patients have risen.

We have rights, recognized in law in New Zealand’s Code of Patients’ Rights. Increasingly, we’re willing to ask questions and even to challenge your recommendations.

We want to know that we’re receiving good quality care from a competent practitioner. We want you to communicate effectively with us, give us all the information we need, and respect our choices – including when, as guardians, we’re asked to consent to dental procedures on our children. If something goes wrong during our treatment, we expect you to tell us, and if we’re unhappy and complain, we want you to act promptly to resolve our concerns.

This presentation will discuss how to meet the challenges of contemporary dentistry and be a good dentist. 

Learning objectives:

 Participants should achieve the following learning objectives:

1. Understand the duties of dentists to remain competent and provide an appropriate standard of care
2. Be familiar with the duties of dentists in the areas of communication, information disclosure and consent
3. Be aware of the legal rights of guardians in relation to consent to dental treatment on children
4. Understand their responsibilities when mistakes happen in oral therapy or in responding to a complaint.

About our Speaker:

Ron Paterson is Professor of Law at the University of Auckland and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Melbourne Law School. He was Health and Disability Commissioner 2000–10 and Parliamentary Ombudsman 2013–16. Ron has chaired several major health reviews in Australia and New Zealand, including the 2018 Mental Health and Addiction inquiry. His research interests include the role of inquiries, patient complaints, healthcare quality and the regulation of health professions.