Diagnostic errors are increasingly recognized as a source of preventable harm in medicine, yet little is known about their occurrence in dentistry. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of clinical dental faculty members' perceptions of diagnostic errors, types of errors that may occur, and possible contributing factors. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with ten domain experts at one U.S. dental school in May-August 2016 about their perceptions of diagnostic errors and their causes. The interviews were analyzed using an inductive process to identify themes and key findings. The results showed that the participants varied in their definitions of diagnostic errors. While all identified missed diagnosis and wrong diagnosis, only four participants perceived that a delay in diagnosis was a diagnostic error. Some participants perceived that an error occurs only when the choice of treatment leads to harm. Contributing factors associated with diagnostic errors included the knowledge and skills of the dentist, not taking adequate time, lack of communication among colleagues, and cognitive biases such as premature closure based on previous experience. Strategies suggested by the participants to prevent these errors were taking adequate time when investigating a case, forming study groups, increasing communication, and putting more emphasis on differential diagnosis. These interviews revealed differing perceptions of dental diagnostic errors among clinical dental faculty members. To address the variations, the authors recommend adopting shared language developed by the medical profession to increase understanding.

Prevalence of food allergies is increasing at a global level. Peanut allergy, specifically, is one that is becoming one of the most common food allergies. With various clinical and oral reactions, it is becoming a significant growing public health concern amongst infants, children, adolescents and adults. This article presents a case-report describing the characteristics of a patient's oral symptoms that consisted of oral lesions similar to those of a Geographic tongue in combination with a burning sensation. Geographic tongue is often associated with much oral pathology. Therefore, these symptoms may cause a confusion and a diagnostic challenge for the dental professional, leading to a misdiagnosis in patients with a peanut allergy. Individuals with peanut allergy may also have cross-reactivity with some legumes and tree nuts. As some dental materials contain these allergens, it is imperative for dental professionals to have awareness of those products and understanding of how to protect those patients in a dental environment.