Knowledge and attitude of dentists in India towards patient safety – A cross-sectional study

AimTo record the knowledge and attitude of dentists in India towards patient safety in dentistry.Materials and methodAn online questionnaire of 13 questions was prepared to determine dentist's knowledge and attitudes towards patient safety in dentistry. Members of an online closed discussion group of dentists (n = approximately 5000) working in India were contacted on three separate occasions during October 2013–January 2014.Results1025 responses were obtained. 19% of respondents stated that they actively took steps to improve safety standards but only 8% of the total sample believed that their employing organisation or professional body would support them to improve patient safety. In addition, only 8% believed that senior staff members encouraged open discussion on surgical errors or how to prevent them. 67% of dentists stated that they had inadequate knowledge on patient safety issues and 97% recommended that patient safety in dentistry be given a higher priority in the undergraduate dental curriculum.ConclusionThere is a need to improve knowledge about patient safety in dentistry among dentists in India and to create a more open culture in reporting adverse incidents.