THE Singapore Dental Association's (SDA) Ethics Committee has written to the first dentist who tried to extract Mr Ven's wisdom tooth on 14 Sep.

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Was it ethical for a dentist to make a mistake and then pass the problem on to a hospital?

The chairman for the ethics committee, Dr Raymond Ang, told The New Paper that it has to review the incident report and treatment notes before it can give a more comprehensive and balanced reply.

Said Dr Ang: 'Although the dentist was not unethical in breaking the roots and referring the patient to a hospital, we do feel however that the patient management and communication aspects of the case have much room for improvement.'

He added that for difficult extractions, for example, a badly broken tooth or a tooth with multiple or curved roots, it is not uncommon to fracture (break) the roots during extraction.

'Therefore breaking roots during extractions is not considered a 'mistake'. However, the most important thing is what the dentist does after the roots break,' said Dr Ang.

If the dentist is able to, she should try to take out the roots.

If she is unable to, she has an obligation to refer the patient to another colleague, to a hospital or a specialist surgeon to remove the broken roots.

In this case, the SDA feels she should have handled the referral process better as the patient is still under her care until he is properly handed over.

Referral letter

Said Dr Ang: 'It would have been better if she had written a proper referral letter for the patient and given clear instructions on where to go and who to see.'

She should also have prescribed the patient antibiotics to prevent infection.

Mr Ven claimed the first dentist gave him only painkillers, no antibiotics.

On dentists' attitude towards patients, the SDA's ethical codes and guidelines state that patients should be treated with courtesy, consideration, compassion and respect.

The SDA will write to Mr Ven and the dentist regarding the outcome when the investigations are completed.

The reason why this case is not being investigated by the Singapore Dental Council is because it only investigates complaints which are accompanied by a statutory declaration.

Said Dr Ang: 'The process is even more complex and takes longer because it involves the formation of a complaints committee and referral to a disciplinary committee when necessary.

'Furthermore, it is more about fault finding and does not involve any form of settlement or compensation.'

SDA has a good record of handling complaints.

In 2007, SDA received 70 complaints, of which 65 were resolved. Last year, it received 67 complaints and resolved 57.

This year, it has received 60 complaints so far and resolved 46.

The SDA is also empowered to mediate between patients and dentists and negotiate for compensation when necessary.

This article was first published in The New Paper.