Unveiling dental diagnostic dilemmas: a national survey of US dentists

In dentistry, very little is known about diagnostic errors (DEs) despite their critical role in assessing patient safety. Many DE cases significantly impact the patient’s quality of life and daily function without necessarily causing medical harm. The primary goal of this study was to describe dentists past experiences or observations of DEs and their associated characteristics. We conducted a national cross-sectional study of US dentists (May-June, 2021). The primary outcomes were self-reported personal experiences of DEs and observations of DEs made by other dentists. Secondary outcomes included: dental conditions frequently associated with DEs, phase of care, contributory factors, and potential interventions. We also explored the associations between provider demographics and practice characteristics with the primary outcomes. 627 total responses were received from participants. About 40% of dentists reported observing a DE made by another dentist on a daily or weekly basis, while only 12.4% admitted to personally making a DE. The dental conditions most frequently selected by dentists as associated with DEs included: diseases of pulp, periapical tissues, and other disorders of the teeth and supporting structures (45%), acute and chronic sinusitis (44.6%), and head and neck cancers/neoplasms (43.9%). Younger dentists and those who attended to 61 + patients/week were significantly more likely to report personally making DEs. US Dentists report personally making or observing others making DEs frequently. New, innovative strategies are needed to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of DEs.