Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
3138981 The Journal of the American Dental Association 2009 10 Pages PDF
Abstract

ABSTRACTBackgroundFailure to diagnose and delayed diagnosis of cancer can have a significant effect on patients' morbidity and mortality. Oral health care professionals should be alert for oral premalignant and malignant disease and head and neck involvement by malignant disease. These issues have patient care and medicolegal implications.Case DescriptionsTo provide guidance to practitioners, the authors present a series of cases of oral and head and neck cancer that resulted in legal action. They chose the medicolegal cases to highlight dental professionals' potential legal liability and provide guidance in patient care.Clinical ImplicationsClinicians need to obtain complete comprehensive histories, perform thorough head and neck and oral examinations and appreciate the importance of being vigilant for abnormalities that may lead to early detection of potentially malignant disease.

Keywords
Related Topics
Health Sciences Medicine and Dentistry Dentistry, Oral Surgery and Medicine
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