Kátia Jesus Novello Ferrer

Ortodontia como atividade de meio ou resultado

This study presents Orthodontics as a support activity, approaching professional obligations and ways to avoid and defend against legal action. A considerable part of litigation between patients and orthodontists results from the mistaken fact, which still persists, that many scholars regard Orthodontics as a core activity. In reality, its practice is subjected to factors that characterize it as a support activity. Orthodontics must be, therefore, regarded as a support obligation, whereupon the professional has the obligation to make use of all means possible to meet the patients expectations - without, however, having the obligation to achieve the idealized result. The orthodontist must be made responsible only upon acts of imprudence, negligence, malpractice, or in the case of false advertising. In order to avoid litigation, orthodontists must have good professional conduct, registering and filing all stages of the treatment, performing differential diagnostics, based on individual characteristics, and adequately choosing the treatment plan.