Patient safety is a field dedicated to minimizing iatrogenic harm to patients. Work in medicine has demonstrated that healthcare is one of the least safe industries. The publication of the 2000 Institute of Medicine report, To Err is Human, helped bring patient safety into the medical and public consciousness. Dentists, like physicians, routinely perform highly technical procedures in complex environments, work in teams, and use a multitude of devices and tools. The dental profession has recently begun to focus on assessing and improving patient safety. This Quality Resource Guide (QRG) focuses on patient safety during dental care, emphasizing high-level scientific evidence. The Guide discusses the types of harm that may occur in dentistry and the link between human error and patient harm. It outlines six strategies to avoid harm during dental care and provides guidance for developing systems to improve the safety culture of a dental practice. This QRG will serve as an important resource for the dentist and all office team members to improve the well-being of their patients.