Children and informed consent: a study of children's perceptions and involvement in consent to dental treatment

Children’s experiences of participation in the cleft lip and palate care pathway

“…UK policy, such as the National Service Framework for Children and Young People 11 and 'Achieving Excellence and Equity for Children', 22 advocates the involvement of children in decisions regarding their healthcare stating there should be 'no decision about me without me'. The notion that children are able to manage their own health has been well established by previous authorities, 4,23 some will want to be involved, 24 although not all. 21 The data from this study would concur and strongly oppose a universal model, which treats all children as the same.…”

Giving low priority to oral health care. Voices from people with disabilities in a grounded theory study

“…According to the principle of autonomy, the patient has the right to decide on matters that concern her/ him as often as possible [25]. Adequate and correct information from the dental professional as well as good communication skills are prerequisites for the patient's decision-making, which, in turn, increases their understanding of and satisfaction with dental care [26,27].…”

The accompanying adult: authority to give consent in the UK

“…There have been few studies regarding consent in children reported in published works, especially with respect to dental treatment, although it has been shown that children aged 8–13 years want to be more involved in consenting to their dental treatment 5 . A previous study carried out at the Eastman Dental Hospital showed that 40% of written consent obtained for outpatient general anaesthesia was invalid, and stressed the need for repeating consent prior to carrying out the actual treatment 6 .…”