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Personalised care planning – do I really have to give all the options?

BDJ In Practice volume 39, pages 24–25 (2026)Cite this article

Taking history, carrying out an oral examination and tests and formulating a diagnosis to share with the patient is one of the earliest clinical skillsets taught in dental school along with the consent process.

Undertaking an oral examination is possibly the easier part of this conundrum because from your initial diagnosis comes the need to offer pragmatic personalised care options to the patient and there are legions of text books available to sieve through these options whilst also taking into account factors arising from other clinical disciplines that may also be involved.

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References

  1. Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1WLR 582.

  2. Boltho v City and Hackney Health Authority [1997] UKHL 46.

  3. McCullogh v Forth Valley Hetah Board [2023] UKSC 26.

  4. Montgomery Lanarkshire Hetah Board [2015] AC1430.

  5. Winterbotham v Sharak [2024] EWHC 2633 9KB.

  6. CambridgeshireLive. News release: Woman ‘in constant pain' wins £250k after suing Cambridge dentist over wisdom tooth removal October 2024. Available at https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/woman-in-constant-pain-wins-30203290 (accessed December 2025).

  7. Chester v Afshar [2005] 1AC 134.

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  1. BDA Indemnity, London, United Kingdom

    Len D´Cruz

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  1. Len D´Cruz
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Correspondence to Len D´Cruz.

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D´Cruz, L. Personalised care planning – do I really have to give all the options?. BDJ In Pract 39, 24–25 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-025-3404-z

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