Modern general anesthesia and conscious sedation procedures are predictable, effective, and safe with appropriate patient selection, drugs and techniques. The use of conscious sedation in dentistry in office-based settings continues to increase. Nitrous oxide is the most commonly used inhalation anesthetic (sedative) used in dentistry, and has withstood the test of time with an excellent safety record. It reduces anxiety, pain, and memory of the treatment experienced, and is a valuable component of the armamentarium available to clinicians.

One of the most dangerous risks a small business faces is being the target of fraud or embezzlement. Over one-third of all dental practices have experienced fraud at least once, but distressingly, few dentists are properly trained or equipped to prevent it. In a small business, fraud comes in many varieties, including skimming, lapping, payroll fraud, and out-and-out larceny, among others. Each has its own modus operandi and telltale signs, but there are broader measures a dentist can take to safeguard his own practice. These range from prehiring screening techniques to using secure accounting software and even retaining a private investigator. If the dentist is married, the spouse can also play a valuable role when it comes to fraud prevention. In the event that an embezzler is found within the dentist’s staff, proper steps need to be taken in order to ensure that any legal action taken is as effective as possible. Despite the large number of dentists who have been or are victims of embezzlement, they don’t have to be easy targets.

Treating a patient without "consent" constitutes a battery; treating a patient without "informed consent" constitutes negligence. Dentists must respond to a wake-up call that informed consent is no casual issue. If a procedure is "invasive or irreversible," informed consent must be obtained; if the procedure is diagnostic in nature and the patient wishes to forgo the procedure, an "informed refusal" must be obtained. Although obtaining informed consent may at first seem awkward, cumbersome, and time consuming, it may very well save a practitioner countless hours in the courtroom and thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Effective and efficient infection control in the dental office is essential for the safety of patients and to ensure that productivity does not suffer. Infection control programs all include the cleaning and sterilization of reusable dental instruments and devices. Care must be taken by the dental healthcare professional to ensure that all instruments are cleaned prior to sterilization, and that this is carried out in a safe manner to avoid injury and puncture wounds. Use of closed-system cassettes reduces the risk to dental healthcare professionals when executing infection control programs. When using ultrasonic cleaners, washers and sterilizers, it is important to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. It is also important to consult with the manufacturer of dental instruments and devices as needed to ensure complete sterilization and to avoid damage to these items. Assurance of sterility of instruments and devices can be obtained through the use of one of several tests, and these tests must be performed regularly to ensure that the sterilizer is sterilizing all instruments and devices and that these are safe for use on patients.