Nearly 7% of all paid dental malpractice claims in the U.S. were the result of diagnostic errors like misdiagnoses and delayed diagnoses, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
The study highlights the importance of improving diagnostic accuracy to enhance patient safety and reduce the financial burden of malpractice lawsuits, the authors wrote.
“Diagnostic errors in dentistry represent a critical area of concern due to their association with severe health outcomes and substantial financial implications,” wrote co-author Dr. Richa Singhania, MSPP, of Four States Dental Care in Neosho, MO (JADA, July 1, 2026).
To investigate the characteristics, health, and economic outcomes linked to diagnostic errors in dentistry, dental paid malpractice claims (DPMCs) reported to the U.S. National Practitioner Data Bank from 2004 to 2021 were analyzed. The claims were classified as diagnostic or nondiagnostic-related cases, according to the study.
Descriptive analyses compared claim frequency, severity, and payment disbursements according to patient, provider, and claim characteristics. Regression analyses assessed potential correlations between diagnostic and nondiagnostic errors, according to the study.
Among the 25,734 DPMCs, 1,727 (6.7%) involved diagnostic-related accusations. These claims accounted for $287.6 million (13.1%) of the $2.1 billion paid out across all DPMCs in the U.S., the authors wrote.
Of these claims, death was reported in 109 (6.3%) of paid diagnostic-related claims. This was compared to 371 (1.5%) of 24,007 nondiagnostic claims, they wrote.
Furthermore, claims related to diagnostic errors were more often linked to major permanent harm and much greater median payments than nondiagnostic claims ($54,400 vs. $28,300), the authors wrote.
However, the study had limitations. Diagnostic mistakes that did not end in lawsuits or monetary settlements were not included in this research. Therefore, the results shouldn’t be interpreted as estimated diagnostic error incidence, they wrote.
Since this study assessed association rather than causation, future studies should investigate the main causes of diagnostic errors, like cognitive biases and systemic challenges, and determine the effect of emerging technologies on diagnostic performance, the authors wrote.
“Although NPDB dental diagnostic errors accounted for 6.71% of all paid dental malpractice claims, they accounted for 13.1% of total settlement payments, indicating a disproportionate financial impact, and were more often associated with severe outcomes,” Singhania and co-author Dr. Enihomo Obadan-Udoh, MPH, DMSc, wrote.
