Medical litigation in oral surgery practice: Lessons learned from 20 lawsuits

The aim of this study was to investigate all the lawsuits related to oral surgery practice over a period of three years, and to analyze the different causes of litigation. Inclusion criteria involved all the closed cases that proved malpractice against an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or involved a dentist who performed an oral and maxillofacial surgical procedure. The most common causes of litigation were oroantral communication, neurological deficit, and bleeding. The study presented the lessons learned from 20 cases, and concluded that most of the lawsuits in oral surgery practice can be prevented either through preoperative measures or by dealing with the impact of the surgical error through good patient rapport and communication (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.