The purpose of the claims monitoring program of the Council on Insurance is to determine whether preventive measures can be implemented by dentists to eliminate, reduce, or better defend professional liability claims. This article outlined some of the findings and recommendations of the Council in the areas of informed consent and assisting in the defense of a professional liability claim. The remainder of the Council's findings and recommendations will be presented in the second part of the article. The Council believes that if its recommendations are followed dentists can improve the loss statistics for dental professional liability significantly.