Figure 3.

a. Significance of factors mitigating against a potential malpractice claim in orthodontics. Participants were asked to rank factors from 1 being the most relevant to 7 being the least relevant in mitigating against a potential malpractice claim in orthodontics. Good doctor-patient communication was ranked as the most contributory factor 72.73% of the time. b. Mean rank of factors that mitigate the filing of a potential malpractice claim against an orthodontist. Good doctor-patient communication was ranked as the more relevant factor in mitigating against a potential malpractice claim with a mean rank of 1.55. c. Significance of factors that mitigate against a malpractice claim in patients with periodontitis. Participants were asked to rank factors from 1 being the most relevant to 4 being the least relevant. Referring a patient to the periodontist prior to commencing treatment was ranked as the most relevant mitigating factor. d. Percentage of orthodontists reporting on non-orthodontist expert testimony. 61.0% of participants reported that a non-orthodontist cannot provide expert testimony against an orthodontist in a malpractice claim.