From concept to practice: Patient safety culture and patient safety climate in dentistry

Research on safety culture and safety climate in dentistry is limited, leading to gaps in understanding and implementation. Therefore, this literature review examined the significance of patient safety culture and safety climate in dentistry, emphasizing their contributions to enhancing the quality of dental care and mitigating adverse events. Patient safety lapses in dentistry include mistakes in procedures, diagnoses, communication, and equipment, and they are often caused by people, systems, and the environment. Safety culture refers to the rules and guidelines that govern how a healthcare organization is structured, while safety climate refers to the attitudes and behaviors common in everyday practice. These ideas are connected, so they need to be addressed together. Essential strategies to enhance safety culture and climate include (1) leadership; (2) education and training for personnel and patients; (3) effective communication and non-punitive reporting mechanisms; (4) standardization through protocols and checklists; (5) teamwork and collaboration; (6) patient engagement; (7) technological advancements such as electronic health records and incident reporting systems; and (8) continuous improvement through audits and performance metrics. To make dentistry safer for patients, we need to move from separate treatments to more unified ones. The field of dentistry can move beyond reactive measures and create a culture where safety is a top priority for everyone by making it part of organizational principles, everyday practices, and patient collaboration.