Dental practice failed to properly treat a woman's gum disease

What happened

Miss G had gum disease, and went to her dental practice for appointments every six months over three years. She was not given an essential type of examination for patients with gum disease or an X–ray during that time. Her appointments were also too short to properly treat her for the condition, and she should have been seen more regularly. After Miss G moved to another practice she had to have two of her teeth extracted.

What we found

The Practice's ability to provide an open and honest response to Miss G, and our ability to thoroughly investigate her care, was hindered by the poor quality of her dental records. Considering the evidence that was available to us, the treatment provided to Miss G was not in line with relevant dental guidelines or established good practice. Our investigation concluded that on the balance of probabilities, Miss G lost her teeth as a result of the Practice's failings.

Putting it right

Following our investigation, the Practice apologised to Miss G and paid her £2,000. The Practice updated its quality assurance and clinical audit policies, and put an action plan in place to ensure quality control.