A central Iowa dentist accused of participating in a surgical procedure that ended with the patient’s death is now facing multiple disciplinary charges.
Dr. Robert Wolf of Johnston, IA, is charged by the Iowa Dental Board with practicing dentistry, dental hygiene, or dental assisting in a manner that is harmful or detrimental to the public; willful and gross neglect; failure to maintain a satisfactory standard of competency; practicing beyond one’s training; employing or permitting an unlicensed or unregistered individual to practice dentistry, dental hygiene, or dental assisting; and encouraging, assisting, or enabling the unauthorized practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, or dental assisting.
The board has not disclosed any information as to the alleged underlying conduct that gave rise to the charges, except to say that Wolf was practicing somewhere in Iowa at the time the alleged violations took place. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for January 23, 2026.
State records show that in November 2024, the board scheduled a hearing to discuss its intent to refuse Wolf’s request that he be given a permit to use moderate sedation on patients.
In the written notice of its intent to deny the permit -- which the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing mistakenly published to the board’s website before removing it -- the board alleged Wolf participated in a surgical procedure in which the patient later died and that he had done so without having the required permit to use sedation.
In the notice, the board also alleged Wolf had participated in the operation “with an individual who was not licensed to practice dentistry” and that Wolf “facilitated the practice of an unlicensed dentist, and supervised the administration of anesthesia without having the proper credentials.”
Board records show that before the scheduled hearing on the permit denial, Wolf rescinded his request for a permit, and the hearing was canceled.
Court records shed light on case
Court records indicate the board’s concerns were focused on the treatment received by 50-year-old Joseph Daniels, who died in January 2024 shortly after dental implant surgery at Dental Studio of Iowa in Johnston.
Daniels’ family has filed a civil lawsuit against Wolf, Dr. Jonathan Karch, and others involved in the operation. That lawsuit alleges that on January 26, 2024, the implant procedure began at 7:15 a.m. and was completed at 3:15 p.m., with patient care allegedly turned over to certified registered nurse anesthetist Nicky Newhoff, who was tasked with waking Daniels and initiating the recovery process.
The lawsuit alleges that at 3:30 p.m., a dental assistant notified Karch and Wolf they were needed in the surgical suite through a message that stated, “Joe is not doing well -- please come immediately.”
According to emergency medical service records, paramedics were dispatched to Dental Studio of Iowa at 3:35 p.m. with a report of an “unconscious person.” According to the lawsuit, the paramedics arrived at 3:40 p.m. and found Daniels in a dental exam chair “pale, cyanotic, cool and unresponsive.” Daniels was then taken to the Iowa Methodist Medical Center, where he died at 5:51 p.m.
The lawsuit alleges that during the operation, Karch “allowed Wolf to perform extractions and place implants into Daniels’ mouth knowing that Wolf lacked the informed consent of Daniels to perform such procedures.” It also alleges that Wolf allowed Marko Kamel, an individual who was not licensed to practice dentistry in Iowa, to participate in the surgery.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages for negligence, is still pending. All of the defendants in the case, including Karch, Wolf, Dental Studio of Iowa, and Wolf’s employer, Coral West Dental, have denied wrongdoing. The case is scheduled to be tried on September 28, 2026.
Karch sanctioned by Iowa Dental Board
Earlier this year, the Iowa Dental Board entered a final order in its disciplinary case against Karch.
The order stipulated that Karch would not be issued a permit to administer patient sedation until September 13, 2025, and that he pay a $7,500 civil penalty and complete an unspecified amount of additional continuing education, with some of that education related to professional ethics.
The board’s order also stated that should Karch be issued a sedation permit, it would be placed on probationary status for three years, during which a practice monitor must be physically present in the treatment room for any sedation procedures handled by Karch.
According to the board’s findings of fact in the Karch case, “R.W.” -- identified in other board records as Robert Wolf -- was the primary surgeon for the procedure. The board alleged Wolf did not have a sedation permit at the time. Karch did have a sedation permit, but by all accounts, he was only in the operatory sporadically and spent most of the time 10 to 15 feet away in an adjacent room working on the fabrication of temporary implants.
Wolf “nevertheless proceeded with the surgery, with a certified registered nurse anesthetist contracted by The Dental Studio of Iowa to administer and monitor” the sedation, the board determined.
This article was originally published in the Iowa Capital Dispatch and republished by DrBicuspid under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence.
Deputy Editor Clark Kauffman has worked during the past 30 years as both an investigative reporter and editorial writer at two of Iowa's largest newspapers, the Des Moines Register and the Quad-City Times.
