Obtaining consent to dental procedures
The Board has recently received several complaints which highlight the importance of obtaining informed consent from animal owners before they undertake dental procedures, particularly tooth extractions.
In recent complaints received by the Board, animal owners have claimed they presented their animal for teeth cleaning or extraction of one or two teeth, only to discover after the procedure that a large number of teeth were extracted. Information obtained during the investigation of these complaints indicated that, while there may have been clinical reasons for many teeth to be extracted, the animal’s owner was inadequately prepared for this possibility during the initial consultation and informed consent was not obtained before the procedure. Properly communicating and obtaining informed consent (including informed financial consent) is crucial in cases involving dental procedures.
Vets should fully inform owners about dental procedures, advising the owner of treatment options, the risks associated with each option, and the cost of those options.
The vet should inform the owner that it may only be during the procedure that they identify whether teeth need to be extracted and, if so, how many teeth. The vet should discuss and clearly establish with the owner what they want to happen in such circumstances. Options could include:
- with full awareness of the range of possible costs, the owner consents in advance to all dental work which the vet identifies is required during the procedure
- the vet contacts the owner during the procedure if they identify that significant extra treatment is required.
As dental procedures can be expensive, and only if the vet judges there are no immediate welfare concerns for the animal and has made the owner aware of the risks, a possible option may be to delay scheduling a dental procedure until the owner has arranged finance for potentially higher costs.
It may assist the owner if they are given written information to help them understand the complexities and unknowns in relation to dental procedures, and the full range of costs.
Clinics may wish to check that consent forms include:
- a statement requiring the owner to acknowledge that additional treatment may be required, and that they understand the full possible range of the costs for that treatment
- a statement requiring the owner to answer calls during the procedure, if they have opted to be contacted before any additional treatment takes place, or what will be done if the client does not answer the call.
The vet should ensure they make a clear and contemporaneous record of the discussion with the client in the veterinary medical record, including what they opted for and their consent.
These actions may help an owner to properly understand what they are being asked to consent to, and will ultimately benefit the vet-client relationship.
What is informed consent?
Informed consent: Consent is an owner’s agreement for a veterinary practitioner to provide veterinary services, including any tests, medicines, treatments or procedures. Consent is informed consent if the owner has received clear and
sufficient information about their choices in relation to their animal’s health and treatment before they give their consent to treatment or a service. Informed consent is successful when the owner indicates they understand the information they have been given and confirm this verbally or in writing.
Informed financial consent: Financial consent is an owner’s agreement to the cost of veterinary services to be provided by a veterinary practitioner/practice. Financial consent is informed financial consent if the
owner has received clear and sufficient information about the cost of a veterinary service, preferably in writing, before the service is provided. Informed financial consent is successful when the owner indicates they understand the information they have been given and confirm this verbally or in writing.
Relevant guidelines
Other resources