The Telegraph reports that dentists are twice as likely to be sued than a decade ago as "no win, no fee" lawyers use "aggressive tactics" to target the profession.
The profession is also seeing a stark rise in the number of claims being made in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease, as these cases tend to lead to substantially higher payouts - particularly in cases dating back decades.
It's resulted in indemnity costs for dentists skyrocketing by over 400% over the same period, while their earnings in real terms fell by 35% as the cost of regulatory compliance also soared.
The British Dental Association has warned that a failure to crackdown on US-style "ambulance chasers" is putting health services under strain.
Source:
GDPUK