Where botched dental procedures are reported the most in the U.S.

When it comes to dental negligence, Colorado is the worst. Patients in the Centennial State are the most likely to see their dental procedures bungled or experience other mistakes made by dentists. The findings were conducted and released by personal injury law firm Zinda Law Group.

Though Colorado also was high on the list for negligence by dental hygienists, Hawaii was the worst for malpractice during hygiene appointments, according to the data, which were compiled using the number of medical malpractice or adverse action reports filed between January 2020 and March 2024 in each state from the U.S. National Practitioner Data Bank.

"With the typical dental appointment reportedly starting at $48 without insurance for an x-ray and rising to $1,800 for partial dentures across the US, this negligent care can mean these prices skyrocket when the cost of fixing a botched procedure or managing post-treatment complications are accounted for," a Zinda spokesperson said in the report.

In the U.S., an average of 39.9 cases of dental negligence are reported annually per 1,000 dentists. The statistics are worse for dental hygienists, with 44 cases reported per year per 1,000 hygienists, according to Zinda.

In Colorado, patients are the most likely to experience dental negligence like anesthesia errors, misdiagnosed oral conditions, or incurring preventable damage or injuries during a procedure at a rate of 119% above the U.S. average. In 2020, an average of 87 malpractice incidents per 1,000 dentists were reported annually in Colorado, according to the research.

Virginia follows Colorado with a dental negligence rate of 95% above the U.S. average, with 77.8 reports per 1,000 dentists. Alabama, Maine, and Washington rounded out the top five with 71, 65.4, and 64.9 dental malpractice reports, respectively.

However, it seems that patients in Rhode Island and Louisiana can breathe a sigh of relief. These states are the safest for dental visits. Rhode Island reported 19 cases of dental malpractice among dentists and Louisiana reported 19.8 cases, according to the data.

Negligence and hygienists

In Hawaii, dental hygienists were 167% more negligent than the average, with 117.7 reports of negligence per 1,000 hygienists. The U.S. national average is 44 reports per year filed against hygienists, according to the data.

Colorado came in at a close second, with 117 reports made yearly against hygienists. Wisconsin, Virginia, and Minnesota followed with 107.8, 95.9, and 94.1 reports, respectively.

Finally, the states with the lowest negligence rates among hygienists included Rhode Island, Louisiana, North Dakota, Arkansas, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada. These states had no malpractice reports, according to the research.

"This data highlights which states need to work to lower malpractice rates in dental practices, which inadequate training, unsanitary conditions, and a stressful workload may exacerbate," the spokesperson said in the report.