Background & Aim: The number of complaints filed by patients at the Iranian Medical Council is rising in recent years. Some of the complaints are related to orthodontics malpractice cases. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of orthodontics malpractice complaints filed against either specialists or general dental practitioners according to the final decree registered at the Iranian Medical Council. Materials & Methods: This descriptive study was designed to examine the relevant documents filed since 1372 (1994), which received rulings by the Iranian Medical Council. Results: Of the 54 orthodontics cases, 31 were filed against general practitioners, 16 against orthodontists, 3 against pediatricians and 4 against so-called denturists. A total of 25 cases were acquitted of all charges, 3 cases were punished verbally, 33 cases received written notice and 4 cases of denturists were referred to court. Among all, 27 malpractice cases were against removable and 26 involving fixed orthodontic treatments. Twelve convicted individuals were also charged with lack of professional care, 14 with lack of expertise, and 2 for negligence. Conclusion: This study shows a considerable rise in convicted malpractice cases filed against general dental practitioners (88%), according to registered cases at the Iranian Medical Council over the past ten years. For prevention and control of such events, this result suggests that more education and closer supervision as well as enforcement of regulations are required by authorities.

Background: Medical malpractice represents a serious problem in the health system and is one of the risk factors for patient safety which damages the patient and increases costs for the patient and the health care provider. The importance of these complaints against physicians is that litigation may continue for a long time and become problematic for patients and physicians. The objective of this study was to investigate the complaints of medical malpractices which were referred to Iran Medical Council to provide solutions to reduce the complaints and improve service delivery. Methods: Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, ISI/Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, and Iranian databases, such as MagIran, SID, and Irandoc, were searched from 01/01/1990 to 07/01/2018. Also, the grey literature (via Google Scholar) was searched. Studies written in English or in Persian were searched, and keywords used included malpractice, negligence, medical malpractice, physician impairment, Iran, and professional impairment. Results: Nearly 1455 complaints (36%) of the total number of 3977 complaints were proved to be medical malpractice, and physicians were acquitted in 2542 (64%) cases. Most complaints were from gynaecologists, accounting for 43% of all complaints, followed by orthopaedic specialists who ranked second with 21. 4% of the total complaints. The most type of failure was due to lack of skill (30. 4%), followed by negligence (29. 2%). Imprudence or indiscretion (26. 3%) and noncompliance with governmental requirements (14. 1%) were also in the next ranks, respectively. Conclusion: Improving patient and physician relationships, observing medical ethics, increasing the scientific and technical skills of the medical staff, and following the guidelines and medical protocols will prevent medical malpractice. Therefore, health policymakers can reduce errors and failures by adopting continuing education on medical, ethical, and legal issues.