An invaluable tool for the cosmetic dentist

Indeed, the importance of gaining informed consent from the patient before any dental treatment cannot be underestimated. Both the GDC and CQC explicitly state what is required of dental professionals in these instances, with the GDC Standards Guide asserting:

“It is a general legal and ethical principle that you must get valid consent before starting treatment or physical investigation, or providing personal care, for a patient. This principle reflects the right of patients to decide what happens to their own bodies, and is an essential part of good practice. Patients have a right to choose whether or not to accept your advice or treatment. This guidance identifies, and is limited to, the ethical principles of getting patient consent, which you should apply to your work.”

Similarly, Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, which relates to CQC outcome 2 states:

“The registered person must have suitable arrangements in place for obtaining, and acting in accordance with, the consent of service users in relation to the care and treatment provided for them.”