Tabrizi Reza, Taheri Hossein, Forouzesh Mehdi, Azizi Sanaz, Bathaei Yasaman
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Chamran Highway, Velenjak St, Tehran, Iran.
Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Saudi Dent J. 2025 Aug 29;37(7-9):44. doi: 10.1007/s44445-025-00057-4.
This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and causes of dental malpractice complaints filed with the Forensic Medical Commission (FMC) of Tehran Province from 2016 to 2022. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using 450 case files selected by simple random sampling technique. Data on plaintiffs' and defendants' age, gender, and education level, type of treatment, time between treatment and complaint, commission verdict, defendant specialty, and treatment location were extracted and analyzed using the Chi-square test, forward stepwise multiple logistic regression, and Joinpoint regression, performed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. (α = 0.05). A total of 450 dental malpractice complaints were reviewed, all of which met the inclusion criteria for final analysis. The majority of defendants (70.7%) were males aged 46 to 55 years, while 57.6% of plaintiffs were females. Among defendants, 82.7% were general dentists, and 12.9% were non-dentist operators.The annual distribution of complaints was 45 in 2016, 47 in 2017, 54 in 2018, 71 in 2019, 54 in 2020, 81 in 2021, and 98 in 2022. Dental clinicians were found guilty in 61.3% of cases (n = 276). The most frequent complaints were related to prosthetic treatments (20.4%), dental implants (17.8%), and extractions (14.4%). The highest malpractice rates were observed in endodontic and prosthetic crown treatments (85.2%), followed by endodontic (66.7%), implant (66.3%), aesthetic (66.1%), and fixed prosthetic (62.8%) procedures. Malpractice was confirmed in 64.5% of complaints by females and 57.1% by males. From 2016 to 2022, dental malpractice complaints in Tehran Province showed a clear upward trend, with defendants held liable in 61.3% of cases, most commonly involving prosthetic treatments, implants, and extractions. Non‑dentist operators faced higher odds of conviction than generalists or specialists, while general dentists accounted for the majority of complaints. Female plaintiffs were more likely to have confirmed malpractice than males, and combined endodontic‑crown procedures posed the highest risk. These results highlight the urgent need for targeted training and tighter regulation to enhance patient safety and curb litigation.
本研究旨在评估2016年至2022年期间向德黑兰省法医委员会（FMC）提交的牙科医疗事故投诉的频率及原因。采用简单随机抽样技术选取450份病例档案进行回顾性横断面研究。提取原告和被告的年龄、性别、教育程度、治疗类型、治疗与投诉之间的时间、委员会裁决、被告专业和治疗地点等数据，并使用卡方检验、向前逐步多元逻辑回归和Joinpoint回归进行分析，分析在IBM SPSS Statistics 26版本中进行（α = 0.05）。共审查了450份牙科医疗事故投诉，所有投诉均符合最终分析的纳入标准。大多数被告（70.7%）为46至55岁的男性，而57.6%的原告为女性。在被告中，82.7%为普通牙医，12.9%为非牙医从业者。投诉的年度分布情况为：2016年45起，2017年47起，2018年54起，2019年71起，2020年54起，2021年81起，2022年98起。61.3%的案件（n = 276）中牙科临床医生被判定有罪。最常见的投诉与修复治疗（20.4%）、牙种植体（17.8%）和拔牙（14.4%）有关。牙髓病和修复冠治疗的医疗事故发生率最高（85.2%），其次是牙髓病（66.7%）、种植（66.3%）、美容（66.1%）和固定修复（62.8%）手术。女性投诉中有64.5%的医疗事故得到证实，男性投诉中有57.1%得到证实。2016年至2022年期间，德黑兰省的牙科医疗事故投诉呈明显上升趋势，61.3%的案件中被告需承担责任，最常见的涉及修复治疗、种植体和拔牙。非牙医从业者被定罪的几率高于普通牙医或专科医生，而普通牙医占投诉的大多数。女性原告比男性更有可能证实存在医疗事故，牙髓病 - 冠联合手术风险最高。这些结果凸显了针对性培训和更严格监管以提高患者安全和遏制诉讼的迫切需求。
