Civil claims related to dental care in Chile according to court rulings 2011-2017.

Abstract

Objective: To describe Civil Claims (CCs) related to the provision of dental care according to court rulings published on the website of the Chilean Judicial Power.  Material and methods: Descriptive study of 62 CCs filed against dentists or dental clinics according to court rulings available on the website of the Chilean Judicial Power between the years 2011 – 2017, identified by court rulings using a keyword search. Data were tabulated and analyzed using EXCEL and Stata.15, through descriptive statistics, proportions comparison test, and Spearman's Rho test. Results: An increase in the number of CCs according to the 2011-2017 court rulings was observed. CCs were filed on average 27.5 months after the events occurred. Judicial processes lasted a mean of 27 months, and the Araucanía region accounted for the highest rate. The highest number of lawsuits were placed against male general dentists with a mean age of 44, filed by female patients with a mean age of 46. A total of 66.13% of the CCs were rejected by the court, and 33.87% were ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The financial compensation claims reached an average of $37,751,516 CLP (1500.32 Chilean UF), approximately $47,000 USD as of the date of the data collection process. Conclusion: There is an upward trend in the filing of CCs in Chile, although most were rejected by the court. A better understanding of the reasons that lead to the legal processes is necessary to prevent their occurrence.