Teeth damage is the number one claim against anaesthetists.

The most common claim against anaesthetists over the last ten years has been for patients who have had their teeth damaged by a laryngoscope, it has been revealed.

Dentistry.co.uk reported medico-legal adviser Dr James Armstrong said the average payout for those who have had their teeth injured in this way was £1,500 plus costs last year, according to figures from the Medical Defence Union.

He commented: “If something has gone wrong and the patient’s teeth are damaged, the possibility of legal action should not preclude an apology and explanation of how the damage occurred.”

Elsewhere, a dentist in Sweden had to carry out treatments on a patient 151 times over a six-year period as they kept making a hash of the procedures.

In total, the unnamed dentist carried 71 treatments on the same tooth.

When contacted, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare claimed there were no records of the dentist’s qualifications or patient records.