Dental Record Keeping Presentation Feedback

The second session of our Graduate Essentials Program was presented last week by ADA SA Peer Advisor Dr Jane Pinchback.

Attendee Feedback:

“Very important, relevant presentation to remind dentists of note taking/Documentation requirements by legal bodies.

“Excellent presentation to remind us the importance of dental records.”

“As a recent graduate it is essential that I have the knowledge from these foundation building events….to set me up for success”

“Thank you for the wonderful talk you gave…. I am prepared”

Course content:

During the course of the evening, medico-legal aspects of clinical record-keeping were considered including:

• The dental regulatory environment;
• The current minimum standard in dental record keeping; and
• The importance of records in day-to-day clinical practice.

Delegates were challenged to complete a comprehensive patient exam activity and learned of the different information to be recorded depending on consultation type.

Case studies involving clinical handover, patient complaints, adverse events and audit outcomes were discussed. A key focus of the evening was developing insight and learning how to implement strategies to protect best interests. Key resources referred to during the presentation include ADA SA material (available from the Branch office) plus the following:

Dental Board of Australia - Code of conduct

Dental Board of Australia - Policies, Codes and Guidelines

Guide to health privacy | OAIC

Factsheets - Australian Dental Association (teeth.org.au)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) - Australian Dental Association (ada.org.au)

*BROWN, LF Inadequate record keeping by dental practitioners. Aust Dent J 2015:60:497-502

*BADENOCH-JONES, EK et al. The Australian litigation landscape – oral and maxillofacial surgery and general dentistry (oral surgery procedures): an analysis of litigation cases. Aust Dent J 2016;61: 310-316