Dental professionals caught up in complaints influx feel the strain

While chairing the Westminster Health Forum event on the key priorities for dentistry on June 21, 2022, John Makin, head of the DDU, explained that many patient complaints now arose from issues outside individual dentists’ control such as treatment and commissioning delays. John warned that recent research suggested that following the pandemic, people had a lower threshold for raising a complaint.

Speaking after the event, which was attended by parliamentarians and representatives of the GDC and CQC, John explained, “Dental professionals turn up to work every day wishing to make a difference to their patients by providing quality treatment. However, they are being hampered by matters outside their control such as treatment delays caused by the pandemic and difficulty in commissioning services like molar endodontics. Despite colleagues’ best efforts, patients are frustrated, and this is leading to complaints.