Dentist removes extra tooth by accident

Two serious events have been recorded at The University of Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, which runs all of the city centre hospitals, including the extraction of the wrong tooth and an operation on the wrong part of a patients hand.

The trust said: 'These are serious blunders which should not occur if all proper procedures are followed.'

The extra tooth was removed unnecessarily from a patient who was due to have multiple teeth extracted.

A surgical safety checklist was completed prior to the treatment and the appropriate X-rays were on display.

A trust spokesman said: 'During April and May, two events took place in our hospitals.

'One event took place in April and involved "wrong site surgery".

'During a multiple dental extraction, an additional tooth at the back of the mouth was removed instead of the adjacent one.

'The patient was informed of the error as soon as it was identified and an apology was given.

'Remedial treatment in the form of re-implanting the tooth was offered, but declined.'

The other event recorded at the same trust involved a patient having the ligament in their hands cut, when they were supposed to be having surgery to release tension in their tendon.

The spokesman concluded: 'As we do with all serious incidents, the trust conducted a root cause analysis into both events to establish what happened, identify any learning and make recommendations for improvement actions.'

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