A Seattle dentist who recently resigned from the Washington state dental board has questioned the consistency and thoroughness of its review process in three dental death cases, according to a recent seattlepi.com story.
In the past three years, at least three patients died after dental procedures and all three cases were closed without charges or a full hearing by the Washington State Dental Quality Assurance Commission, the story reported. In one case, the dentist/doctor who was excused by the dental board has been charged with unprofessional conduct by the state's medical board for the same surgery.
"Because no action was taken by the dental board in any of the cases, none of the deaths shows up on the state Web site where consumers can check their dentists' histories," reported seattlepi.com.
Other states, such as California and Texas, do a full investigation of all dentistry-related deaths, the story revealed. However, under Washington law, a death case can be closed before an investigation based on a dentist's summary of events.
The seattlepi.com story provides a detailed account of all three cases. To read the full story click here.
