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The IDA Dental Complaints Resolution Service (DCRS) acts as an
independent third party to help resolve complaints made by patients
against dentists in private practice. This service has become
increasingly relevant due to the increase in claims brought against
dentists and the number of complaints being made to the Dental
Council. A willingness by parties to seek an amicable
resolution reduces the number of matters being brought before the
courts. The DCRS process also reduces the stress on both the
dentist and the patient.
According to the Journal of The Irish Dental Association, it has
been reported by Michael Kilcoyne, mediator with the service, that
over 130 complaints were handled by the DCRS in 2013. Mr
Kilcoyne received over 260 phone calls and over 1,230 emails.
This resulted in 130 complaint applications being submitted to the
service, of which 28 complaints have now been resolved in full and
the remaining 102 are currently being processed. The vast
majority of the complaints received relate to disagreements or
misunderstandings in relation to professional fees, difficulties
with communication and adverse clinical outcomes.
The average length of time to resolve a complaint is about two
months, but can vary from two weeks to six months depending on the
complexity of the complaint and the attitudes of the parties
involved. Dentists are being encouraged to seek relevant
advice from their defence organisation when a complaint is
received. According to the Annual Report 2012 of the DCRS, this
voluntary service is proving to be very effective in resolving
disputes and the Dental Council has recorded a reduction in the
number of complaints it has had to deal with.
The engagement of dentists is welcomed by the DCRS and feedback
from dentists points towards the DCRS being a successful
initiative. According to the Journal of the Irish Dental
Association, a resolution service such as DCRS helps in
enhancing the confidence in standards of care and treatment
provided by Irish dentists.
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