Little research on effective tools to improve patient safety in the dental setting.

Data sourcesMedline via OVID, Embase via OVID, HMIC via OVID, CINAHL via EBSCO and Web of Science.Study selectionDescriptive, observational and experimental studies that used or described the development of patient safety interventions relating to dental care. Outcomes of interest were: patient safety, harm prevention, risk minimisation, patient satisfaction and patient acceptability, professional acceptability, efficacy, cost-effectiveness and efficiency.Data extraction and synthesisAll titles and abstracts were screened by at least two authors. The eligible studies were data extracted by two authors, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer if necessary. A narrative approach was taken and quality assessed using CASP tools.ResultsNine studies were identified. Four described the use of checklists, three the use of reporting systems, one the use of electronic reminders and one the use of trigger tools. The risk of bias in the studies was high.ConclusionsThe available literature on patient safety is in its infancy. Surgical checklists may be effective in reducing surgical errors.