Professional Liability Insurance for Dentists | (E&O)
Get Professional Indemnity Insurance for Your Dental Practice
Being a dentist isn’t easy, as it comes with many risks of work hazards and liability claims. A claim of malpractice or negligence may harm your reputation and cause severe financial loss. With professional indemnity insurance coverage, you can save both your reputation and finances. We understand that mistakes can happen to anyone. That’s why we provide professional liability insurance coverage for dentists to help them build their careers safely.
Sharp Insurance is a Western Canadian insurance broker that provides comprehensive insurance products, including auto insurance, property insurance, business insurance, and recreation insurance. Get affordable professional indemnity insurance for dentists now!
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What Does Professional Indemnity Insurance Cover?
Professional indemnity insurance has several names, depending on the industry, like errors and omissions insurance, professional liability insurance (PLI), or Malpractice Insurance. For dentists, the term professional indemnity is widely used.
In general, professional liability insurance covers instances where a client or customer files lawsuits claiming negligence or error, or malpractice in the healthcare sector against a business that offers professional services.
Covered Professional Liability Insurance Risks
- Negligence or error during a procedure
- Breach of confidentiality
- Failure to follow sterilization protocols
- Miscommunication with a patient
Examples of Dentist Professional Liability Insurance Claims:
- A dentist fails to diagnose an existing medical condition, given that it’s diagnosable by another medical professional.
- A dentist provides improper patient care, leading to a negative impact on the patient.
- A dentist fails to warn patients of all possible risks of a procedure or treatment method.
Industries We Serve Errors and Omissions Insurance Services
Here are some of the industries we serve:
- IT consultants
- Construction contractors
- Social services
- New media
- Photography
- Legal services
- Health and wellness
- Managers
- Consultants
- Finance
What Is Not Covered by Professional Liability Insurance?
- Acts of intentional harm, fraud, or criminal activity are never covered by insurance.
- Medical expenses for slips and falls or any bodily injury are covered by general liability insurance.
- Employee lawsuits are covered by employee practice liability, and employee injuries are covered by workers’ compensation insurance.
- Damaged or stolen equipment or any damage to your business property is covered by commercial property insurance.
- Data breaches or cyberattacks are covered by cyber liability insurance.
- Breach of contract is excluded from the policy in most cases.
- If the claim happened before the policy period, it’s not covered unless you have tail coverage.
Need business insurance for your dental practice? We provide all types of coverages, from general liability insurance to workers’ compensation insurance. An insurance broker would gladly tell you about our products and services. Contact us now.
Why Dental Insurance Is Important
Professional Liability Insurance is crucial for dentists, whether they’re seasoned or just starting. Everybody makes mistakes, especially when working in a high-stakes profession like dentistry. This mistake doesn’t have to define your future.
A claim of negligence or a misdiagnosis may incur so many expenses, from lawyer fees to settlement amounts. Also, your license may get revoked. With professional liability insurance, the legal representation fees, settlements, and court costs are covered.
With PLI, you will not go bankrupt on a single claim. You can get right back on your feet and focus on the future of your dental practice.
Is Professional Liability Insurance for Dentists Obligatory?
Whether PLI for dentists is obligatory or not depends on the province and state regulations. For example, dentists in Alberta must have the required professional liability insurance to obtain a practice permit and legally practice in the province. The College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta (CDSA) made PLI coverage a part of dentist registration.
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In Ontario, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) has a Professional Liability Program (PLP). It is currently proposing regulatory amendments to require all registered dentists to carry liability insurance. It can lead to tying coverage to licensing, similar to Alberta.
In British Columbia, professional organizations strongly recommend professional liability insurance but don’t mandate it.
With other provinces, the regulations vary, but it’s common for dentists to be regulated by self-governing provincial bodies that set different licensing and insurance requirements, like coverage limits.
Does Professional Liability Insurance Cover Dental Assistants?
It depends on how the policy is set up and the assistant’s employment arrangement. In general, dental assistants are covered under the supervising dentist’s or clinic’s professional liability insurance policy if they are hired as employees.
The coverage applies when the assistant is acting within their scope of practice and under the dentist’s supervision. That means, if a patient files a claim involving both the dentist and the assistant, the policy will cover both of them and respond on their behalf.
For example, if the assistant accidentally injured the patient while suctioning during a filling procedure, the coverage will protect the assistant, given that the dentist’s PLI policy covers staff.
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How Much Does Professional Liability Insurance for Dentists Cost?
In general, healthcare specialists expect to pay annual PLI premiums of $500 to $3000. Average costs for professional liability insurance can vary widely based on location and coverage levels needed for the dental practice.
For example, individual dentists might expect to pay between $400 and $800 per year, while medium to large practices may expect to pay between $2000 and $5000 per year.
In Ontario, the rate is fixed. Starting in 2026, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) will require dentists to pay $1400 plus applicable fees and taxes for liability insurance as part of the professional liability program (PLP). This is a significant increase of $500 from previous years.
Note that although you may pay for the premiums on an annual basis, the policy period for professional liability insurance must cover until the end of the practice permit or registration year.
Dentists may incur costs of defense that exceed their primary insurance coverage. In that case, having excess liability insurance, also known as umbrella insurance, is helpful as it may pay to cover the limit gap.
What Factors Impact the Cost of PLI for Dentists
- Size of practice and number of staff: The bigger the size, the more you pay for PLI. More staff means more assets to protect.
- Scope of services and high-risk procedures: High-risk procedures increase the premium rate as there is more on the line.
- Geographic location: Some provinces, like BC and Ontario, have higher premiums due to laws and regulations.
- Claims history and risk management: The more claims you have, the higher premiums you get. Insurance companies see dentists with previous claims as risky, as they are more likely to make claims.
- Coverage limits and policy type: Naturally, higher coverage limits are more expensive. They offer more protection but at a higher price.
How to Get Affordable Professional Liability Insurance for Dentists
- Compare prices before settling on an insurance carrier. An insurance broker can help you get multiple quotes to pick the best deal.
- Join a Dental-Specific Association to get reduced member rates.
- Increase your deductible to get a lower premium, but make sure the amount isn’t too high for you to pay.
- Bundle your professional indemnity insurance with another coverage, like general liability or commercial property. Many insurance companies offer discounts for bundles.
- Implement safety protocols and train employees to show that you care about risk management and get reduced rates.
- Customize your policy by removing unnecessary coverage and setting the policy limits to fit your insurance needs and budget.
- Leverage tax deductions, as PLI premiums are generally tax-deductible.
We can help you get affordable rates for your dental practice. Call us now and get the best deal without compromising on coverage. Fill out our online form and get a quote now!
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Why Choose Sharp Insurance?
As a fast-growing independent insurance brokerage, Sharp Insurance is happy you’ve chosen us to protect your business. We believe in providing our clients with a broad range of product offerings, offering unbeatable service, low prices and comprehensive coverage. We’ve developed innovative tools to help improve our customer’s journeys, always valuing empowerment, exceptionalism and connection.
We offer excellent customer service and digital tools that our competitors don’t have. If you have any questions about professional liability insurance and what we offer, give our professional liability insurance brokers a call today to discuss your coverage options, what you need and how we can help you get it.
Get free quotes for a professional liability insurance policy in Canada today. We make it easy and affordable to work with us wherever your business resides.
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Professional Liability Insurance for Dentists FAQs
Many providers, such as CDSPI, offer coverage that extends to dental assistants, hygienists, and similar staff when acting under the licensed dentist’s supervision, though specific terms and exclusions may apply.
Claims often stem from failures to obtain proper informed consent, misdiagnosis, improper treatment, such as botched extractions or crowns, and anesthesia-related nerve damage, with poor documentation commonly exacerbating dispute outcomes.
Estimated annual costs range from CAD 400 to CAD 800 for sole practitioners, and CAD 500 to CAD 3,000 for small to mid-sized practices, with variation based on specialty, location, and risk.
Yes. Patients can initiate dental malpractice lawsuits if they can demonstrate a breach of the standard of care that caused harm within the applicable provincial limitation period.
General liability insurance, also known as commercial liability insurance, is a common type of liability insurance that businesses who interact with clients should have, as it protects them from property damage and bodily injury claims. For example, if a client visits your business and slips and breaks their arm, they could sue you for expenses related to the fall, including medical costs, rehab and more.
At the same time, businesses who offer professional services or advice to their clients may need both general liability insurance and professional liability insurance. Some companies face the risk of bodily injury, property damage claims and dissatisfied clients that may sue for errors and omissions, negligence and more.
One of Sharp’s business liability insurance brokers can walk you through the benefits of both types of business insurance policies and match your needs to the proper policy.
Professional liability insurance can cover lawsuits that occurred because of alleged financial loss but weren’t found to be anything legitimate. You might be faced with numerous defence costs in the event of such a case, even if the lawsuit never makes it to court. You’ll still be covered in this instance.
If you’re sued over a work mistake or negligence, professional liability insurance can pay for your legal expenses. Lawsuits, even those that occur over a false accusation, can sometimes cost you up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity and the length of the dispute. The willingness of your dissatisfied client to settle is also a factor.
Costs for a lawsuit or legal defenses can include:
- The hourly costs to pay a lawyer for all the time they spend on your case.
- Administrative costs from your legal team for data processing, travel, shipping, copying, etc.
- Court costs for filings and hearings.
- Paying expert witnesses to explain more technical aspects of what you plan to argue.
- Settlement fees if you want to avoid a trial or if a court-ordered judgement requires you to pay a settlement, should you lose your trial.
PLI insurance is not mandatory for every industry. For some industries, provincial requirements will mandate carrying professional liability insurance. This is true of some medical professionals, where purchasing E&O insurance comes in the form of purchasing medical malpractice insurance. For other professionals, such as lawyers and financial advisors, it can be a case-by-case basis as to whether you need professional liability insurance.
For some occupations, clients may prefer to work with those who are insured than those who are not. This means you could lose out on potential work without the right insurance.
All in all, PLI is highly recommended, even if your industry does not require it. Many small businesses lack the financial muscle to recoup after a loss, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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