Informed consent: what's new?

Gone are the days where dentists relied on assumed, implied consent to carry out simple examinations to more complex and high risk procedures. Dental interventions were often carried out under the prescriptive work of a dentist, as he/she felt necessary, but always with the patients' best interests in mind. Patients were rarely given the menu of treatment options which we deliver today and seldom equipped with all the necessary information. The way the dental team plans, carries out and reviews treatment interventions has recently undergone a major shift, moving from being paternalistic in nature to a more ethically conscious, risk aware and patient-centred workforce.

Three basic factors need to be present and employed when obtaining valid consent under common law¹ (Figure 1):

The latter point will be the main focus of this article.

Patient autonomy is an essential part of the current medical bioethical quaternary (Figure 2). Autonomy defines patients as individual people capable, in the most part, of making their own decisions regarding their healthcare choices, as long as they are well advised and informed.