When a patient agrees to treatment or at least does not object, what kind of consent is this?

Implied consent occurs when a patient does not verbally express agreement to a treatment but indicates their willingness to proceed by their behavior or by their presence in a situation where treatment is taking place. This type of consent is often inferred from the context of the situation, such as when a patient shows up for an appointment and allows a dental professional to perform an examination or a simple procedure.

In dentistry, implied consent might apply in situations where the procedures are routine and pose minimal risk, making it acceptable for patients to signal their consent through non-verbal cues rather than formal verbal or written agreement. For instance, if a patient sits in the dental chair and opens their mouth for the dentist to examine their teeth, that action typically indicates implied consent for the examination to occur.

In contrast, informed consent, express consent, and written consent all involve a direct acknowledgment or documentation from the patient regarding their understanding and agreement to a proposed treatment, which is not the case with implied consent.