TERADA, Andrea Sayuri Silveira Dias; GALO, Rodrigo    SILVA, Ricardo Henrique Alves da. Civil liability of the dental surgeon: professionals' knowledge. Arq. Odontol. []. 2014, 50, 2, pp. 92-97. ISSN 1516-0939.

Objective: To analyze the dentist's knowledge about civil liability and its means of protection. Methods: One hundred licensed dentists were randomly selected from the list of professionals registred at the city hall of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. These professionals were asked to answer a questionnaire, the answers of which were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The results showed that all professionals considered the knowledge of their liability in their dental practice important, and 94% had heard about this topic, mainly during dental meetings or during their university courses. Regarding the type of obligation assumed by the professionals, 28% believe that the dentist should guarantee of results, 28% believe they should not, and 44% reported that the guarantee of results depended upon the specific dental field. Regarding the increase in the number of civil lawsuits against dentists, 79% of the participants are aware of this fact, and 57% know at least one case of prosecution. Moreover, 41% of the professionals proved to be legally insecure in their dental practice; 72% of the respondents know about the civil liability insurance, 45% have this insurance, and 82% would feel safer buying this type of protection. Conclusion: It could therefore be concluded that the dental professionals are concerned about the issues involving civil liability and its means of protection for their professional careers.

: Forensic dentistry.; Civil liability.; Knowledge..