Civil responsibility of the dentist

Abstract

The professional civil liability is defined as the obligation to repair the damage caused to another person, either by an unlawful act or failure to observe the rules governing life in society. The foundations of Subjective Civil Liability are guilt (imprudence, recklessness or ineptitude) and deceit, whereas the Objective Civil Liability is based on law and the risk of the activity. The responsibility of the dentist is regulated by the Civil Code and the Consumer Protection Code. The aim of this paper is to discuss the civil liability of the dentist, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the dental records structured and properly filed to be used as evidence in civil, criminal and ethical processes, and also serve as instrument for consultation in cases of human identification.