When discussing the quality of medical care, the timing of its provision plays an important role. Dentists and patients, as a rule, do not have a legal education, which causes difficulties in agreeing on the terms of treatment, the terms of the contract, the waiting time / provision / performance of dental services. This leads to the development of conflict situations, an increase in the number of court cases that could have been prevented at the level of concluding an agreement between the clinic and the patient.

GOAL

The purpose of the study was to determine the rules for the organization of dental care, taking into account the existing definitions of the concept of “term of dental service”, based on the study of the legislative regulatory framework and judicial practice in dentistry.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the course of the study, an analysis of the legislative and regulatory framework on the merits of the issue, patient claims and court decisions of 1 800 dental court cases for 2013—2022 was carried out.

RESULTS

The study revealed that the lack of definition of the concepts of “waiting period /provision of dental services”, as well as criteria for the beginning and end of services, is a provoking moment for the emergence of patient claims, including those resolved in court. About 35% of cases in one way or another relate to patients’ claims of violation of the terms of the dental treatment contract, and more than 3% of forensic medical examinations consider issues of compliance with the terms of treatment. Taking into account the existing legislative and regulatory framework, the article suggests options for organizing dental care, into account risk-oriented approaches and conflict prevention.