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Abstract

clinical setting. This study is based on the evaluation of the perception of the dentists regarding situations where patients soughtfree dental advice.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted during the time period of three months from May 2019- July2019. The target populations for this study were the practicing dentists in various dental hospitals, clinics and dental schools in thecity of Lahore. A sample size of 350 was collected using a pre-validated questionnaire and analysis was done using SPSS softwareversion 23.Results: According to the obtained results, majority of the dentists (76%) agreed that they give informal dental advice to thepatients and the main venue where they experienced this mode of advice seeking were the social gatherings (49%). There is aprevalence of hesitation amongst the dentists regarding informal dental advice as they believe it to be an ethical dilemma (36%)which might lead to further medico-legal implications.Conclusion: Majority of the dentists are of the opinion that informal dental advice to the patients is an ethical dilemma andgetting involved in such practices without proper consultation and documentation may account for them to commit a medicolegal error.