The psychology of failure for dentists.

UNLABELLED: Failure in practice is inevitable. Failure may have negative consequences both for the patient and the dental team. This article will explore the psychological impact of failure on the dental team, and how to manage this. In addition, an approach to managing, preventing and ameliorating the effects of failure based upon an analysis of healthcare systems will be described. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This article will assist general dental practitioners and other members of the dental team in coping with the psychological impact of failure, and to design systems to minimize the harmful effects of failure in practice.