Lewis County dentist John Pham has been fined and will have his practice restricted by the state Department of Health after he allegedly didn’t “meet the standard of care of a reasonably competent dentist” in treating a patient who needed teeth extracted.
According to the DOH, Pham left behind portions of one tooth, didn’t recognize that portions of a broken instrument had been left behind in the patient’s mouth, didn’t recognize long-term complications for the patient, didn’t refer the patient to a specialist in a timely manner and didn’t document his actions.
Pham was fined $5,000, ordered to reimburse the state Dental Commission $10,000 and will have his practice restricted for four years. According to the DOH, he will also be required to have a proctor present for some procedures.
According to the DOH, the incident in question happened in September 2016. The patient had four molars removed while under sedation. Pham reportedly left portions of one of the teeth and the patient was advised to come back for more evaluation.
The next month, the patient returned and it was found that the tip of an elevator instrument was lodged in the bone near the extraction site of another tooth. In December 2016, the patient was seen for an infection, and declined further treatment by Pham.
During the period of the restriction of Pham’s license, he will only be allowed to perform three simple tooth extractions at a time, and will not be allowed to perform any surgical extractions or more than three simple extractions without a proctor present and with a treatment plan approved by that proctor.
The proctor must be approved by the Dental Commission and must have a minimum of five years experience as a dentist. Pham’s practice will also be subject to regular unannounced audits by the state Department of Health.
The requirements were part of an order agreed to by Pham and the Department of Health in March.
