24 September 2019
Adrian Fernandez
[FYI request #11061 email]
Tēnā koe Adrian
Your Official Information Act request, reference: GOV-001302
Thank you for your request of 27 August 2019, asking for the fol owing information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I am requesting information about
•
treatment injury claims received by ACC caused during the provision of dental treatment
or as a result of dental treatment.
•
the injury types for the injury claims in (a) ( ie. jaw fracture, broken instrument)
•
The types of dental treatments that led to the injuries, correlated to the injury caused
Information about treatment injuries
A ful overview of treatment injury in public and private surgical hospitals, and general practice settings
is available publicly at
www.acc.co.nz/treatmentsafetypublication.
Claim lodgement rates are dependent on several factors, and can be influenced by:
• population demography i.e. the characteristics of the resident population, visitors and referred
patients
• health status of the population treated
• what level of facility the organisation provides i.e. tertiary versus secondary
• familiarity of health providers or clients in recognising and/or lodging treatment injury claims.
Therefore, claims lodged with ACC cannot be taken as an accurate indication of the occurrence of
treatment injuries or the quality of care.
The fol owing treatment injury data was extracted on 12 August 2019 and may differ if rerun at a later
date. The data provided is extracted our treatment injury datasets.
Dental treatment injury data
Between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2018, ACC made cover decisions on 4,120 dental related
treatment injury claims. Of those, 2,357 were accepted and 1,763 were declined for cover.
Injury groups of dental treatment injury claims
The most common injury groups resulting from dental treatment injury are provided in Table 1, at the
end of this letter. These 15 injury groups account for 89% of accepted dental related treatment injuries.
The data for the other injury types is not provided as these are for low numbers of claims. ACC does not
routinely provide low numbers of claims to protect the identity of individuals. This decision is made
under section 9(2)(a) of the Act. In making this decision, we considered the public interest in the
information withheld, and are of the view it does not outweigh the need to protect the privacy of the
individuals concerned.
Treatment events of dental treatment injury claims
We are providing you data about ‘treatment events’ in Table 2, rather than more specific information
about the dental treatment that was performed. These 15 treatment events account for 97% of
accepted dental related treatment injuries.
GOV-001302
The most common treatment event ‘Dental Treatment’ is a broad term and further detail of the dental
procedure can only be found through individual claim detail investigation. This is because to provide any
more specific details we would need to manually review individual files, which would require substantial
research and col ation. This decision is made under section 18(f) of the Act. As described above we have
provided the top 15 categories, to maintain the privacy of our clients.
In answer to your question about the types of treatment that led to injury, Table 2 is provided at the
end of this letter, listing the most common treatment events for accepted dental treatment injury
claims.
Correlation of injury caused and treatment
To provide data about the correlation between injuries and treatments which would require substantial
research and col ation. Therefore, we decline this part of your request. This decision is made under
section 18(f) of the Act.
How you can reach us
If you have any questions, you can email me at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman.
Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800
802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Emma Coats
Manager Official Information Act Services
Government Engagement & Support
Accident Compensation Corporation
Page 2 of 4
GOV-001302
Table 1 – Fifteen most common primary injury groups for accepted dental treatment injuries*
Injury group
Accepted Claim Count
Tooth Injury/Damage
390
Nerve Damage/Injury
293
Adverse reaction
252
Strain/Sprain
196
Infection
166
Laceration
157
Oroantral Fistula
143
Dental Injury
134
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Dysfunction
128
Haematoma
57
Perforation - Other
53
Fracture
43
Joint Injury/Displacement
41
Burn
27
Sinus Damage/Injury
24
*Data is for accepted treatment injury claims for the period from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2018.
Accident Compensation Corporation
Page 3 of 4
GOV-001302
Table 2 – Fifteen most common treatment events for accepted dental treatment injuries*
Treatment Event
Accepted Claim Count
Dental Treatment
815
Tooth Extraction
670
Medication Adverse Reaction
249
Root Canal Treatment
231
Anaesthesia - Local
71
Injection
47
Orthodontic Treatment
43
Crown & Bridge
37
Positioning
35
Delay/Failure to Provide Treatment
29
Oral Surgery
19
Amalgam Fillings
19
I.V. Cannulation
14
Osteotomy
9
Equipment Breakage/Loss
7
*Data is for accepted treatment injury claims for the period from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2018.
Accident Compensation Corporation
Page 4 of 4
Document Outline
