Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

A Dental Practice in the Grampian NHS Board area

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Upheld Reference 202303671 Sector Health Category Clinical treatment / Diagnosis Decided 01 September 2025

Original decision on the SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) website ↗

Full decision

Summary

C complained about the care and treatment provided to them by their dental practice. C complained about a tooth extraction and the potential failure to fully remove the root of the tooth. The dentist performed an x-ray and examined C’s mouth but did not identify any evidence of infection or retained tooth or bone.

We took independent advice from a dentist. We found that there were insufficient records relating to the tooth extraction. Based on the limited evidence available, we concluded that the care and treatment was reasonable. However, the standard of record keeping fell below the required professional standards. This was likely an isolated incident as other records provided were completed to an appropriate standard. We upheld C's complaint based on the poor record keeping but did not make any recommendations as we were satisfied the dentist had appropriately reflected on their practice.

Related reading

View Decision Report 202303671 as a PDF (24.21 KB) Updated: September 17, 2025

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