<![CDATA[Diagnostic errors in specialist dental practice pose clinical, ethical, and legal challenges to patient safety. Indonesian Laws Number 29 of 2004 and Number 17 of 2023 establish professional standards and patient rights. Yet, existing literature remains predominantly clinical, with limited legal and ethical integration. This gap underscores the need for a multidimensional approach to understanding diagnostic failures. This study examines the juridical and ethical dimensions of diagnostic errors and their impact on patient harm. Using a qualitative phenomenological and normative juridical approach, this study analyzes statutory regulations alongside empirical and scholarly evidence. The findings show that cognitive, clinical, communication, and systemic factors influence diagnostic errors in specialist dental practice, particularly delayed diagnosis, radiographic misinterpretation, symptom misidentification, and inadequate communication. These errors may cause clinical harm, patient anxiety, financial losses, and doctor-patient conflict. Diagnostic errors may incur professional liability when they deviate from applicable standards and cause harm, while gaps between legal norms (das sollen) and clinical practice (das sein) may weaken patient protection. Misdiagnosis may compromise non-maleficence and patient autonomy through inadequate information. The study concludes that an integrated clinical, juridical, and ethical approach is needed to strengthen accountability, patient protection, and healthcare quality.]]>
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