The dental field made headlines in 2024 for a series of incidents that ranged from patient deaths and legal battles to criminal cases. These stories highlight the challenges of operating a dental practice and its broader impact on health and safety.
Without further delay, here are our top five dental practice articles for 2024.
23-year-old dies following dental procedure
In November, a 23-year-old Canadian woman died after a medical emergency during a dental procedure, prompting an investigation by the Manitoba Dental Association. Details about the procedure and anesthesia use remained undisclosed.
Woman dies after swallowing dental plate
A 33-year-old woman in Ireland died after swallowing her dental plate, which was undetectable on x-rays, leading to delayed treatment and fatal complications. Cork University Hospital apologized for the care deficiencies, and the case highlighted the need for improved protocols in handling non-metallic foreign objects.
3, including a dentist, arrested in high-profile murder case
A Kentucky man, Michael "M.K." McKinney III, was arrested for the 2023 murder of Amber Spradlin while his father, Dr. Michael K. McKinney II, a dentist, and another man, Josh Mullins, were charged with tampering with evidence.
The men allegedly concealed evidence and attempted to clean the crime scene at Dr. McKinney’s home, where Spradlin was fatally stabbed. Delays in the case have been attributed to the state's forensic lab processing times, despite public concerns about the suspects' high profiles.
Drug trafficker identified from a dentist chair selfie sentenced
Drug trafficking kingpin Khan Gorgulu was sentenced in March to six and 1/2 years in jail after he was identified through a selfie he sent from a dentist's office to his accomplice, Giovanni Spada. The two men ran an organized crime group supplying drugs in a wealthy U.K. area, and both were convicted of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, with Spada also receiving a six-year sentence.
Dentist sentenced to 180 years in prison
Back in April, Alabama dentist Dr. Joseph Cox was sentenced to 180 years in prison for sexually assaulting multiple employees and patients at his practice Gadsden Dental. Convicted in January on multiple counts of sexual assault, Cox's sentence was ordered to run consecutively, with the judge condemning his actions as a betrayal of the trust of women who came to his office.
