A lot of people feel anxious about going to the dentist. It’s not always enjoyable, and patients place a lot of trust in their dentist to keep them healthy. Many Dayton and Western Ohio dental professionals build thriving practices based on trust, filled with satisfied patients who feel like they know their dentist. Yet even with this community trust, a single complaint to the Ohio State Dental Board can bring everything to a halt. Board investigations threaten a dentist’s license, reputation, and professional future, as the Board wields enormous power to discipline Ohio dentists and potentially take away their license to practice.
Dayton dentists face these risks regardless of where they practice in the region. Someone working at Five Rivers Health Centers is no more immune to Board scrutiny than solo practitioners running their own offices in Kettering or Urbana. The Board expects you to have answers to its questions, and if it believes you pose a risk to patients, you may lose your dental license or face restrictions that effectively put your career on hold.
The LLF National Law Firm has experience defending dentists throughout the Dayton metro area when license challenges come their way. Our Professional License Defense Team will work tirelessly to protect your rights during the disciplinary process and fight to preserve your career at every stage of the Board’s disciplinary process. Call the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or get in touch through our website to get started on your Ohio dental license defense.
Ohio State Dental Board Licensing Authority
The Ohio State Dental Board has the authority to regulate dentists, including those practicing in the Dayton metro area. The Board has a clearly stated goal: to promote access to dental care and protect the dental health of Ohio residents. This means that, in addition to enforcing standards and licensing qualified dentists, the Board is responsible for investigating and potentially sanctioning dentists who jeopardize patient health.
If a dentist in Ohio lacks qualifications or provides substandard care, the Board must step in to address the situation. In fact, the Board regularly receives complaints of possible misconduct by Dayton dentists. Investigators don’t take every allegation at face value, but a credible complaint can still trigger an investigation quickly. The Ohio State Dental Board wields significant power, and its job of protecting the public is not always aligned with your goal of keeping your dental license free of sanctions.
The LLF National Law Firm Team regularly represents dental professionals before the Ohio State Dental Board. If the Board reached out to you with concerns that may impact your ability to help Dayton and Kettering patients, contact our Professional License Defense Team to get started on your response.
Grounds for Dental License Discipline in Ohio
Just because you haven’t received criticism or complaints from former patients doesn’t mean someone hasn’t filed a complaint against you and your license. Under Ohio’s Dental Practice Act, the Ohio State Dental Board can initiate disciplinary proceedings against dentists for a wide range of conduct, including:
- Standards of Care: Regardless of whether a patient suffered injury, all Dayton dentists must follow the rules and provide high levels of care that meet or exceed the expectations of the Ohio State Dental Board.
- Criminal Convictions: Certain felonies, misdemeanors, and drug-related offenses can trigger Board action, especially for conduct committed in the course of practice.
- Licensure Fraud and Misrepresentation: The Board may investigate when dentists engage in fraud or deception during license applications and renewals.
- Immoral Conduct: Lewd and immoral conduct is subject to disciplinary action when connected to the provision of dental services.
- Impairment: Physical or mental conditions, including substance abuse issues, can lead to accusations that a dentist cannot practice according to accepted standards of dental care.
- Improper Prescribing or Administering of Drugs: The Board scrutinizes controlled substance prescriptions and can allege violations when a dentist gives away drugs without legitimate and legal therapeutic purposes.
- Supervision Concerns: Ohio dentists must supervise dental hygienists, assistants, and anyone working under them to ensure they do not provide substandard dental care.
- Failure to Cooperate: The Board may pursue further disciplinary action against dentists who do not respond to or cooperate with Board inquiries, including subpoenas, or fail to provide truthful information during investigations.
Complaints and allegations of misconduct or substandard care are just the start. The next step is typically investigations, negotiations, and hearings, where the Board will determine whether it believes a violation occurred. And once it makes that determination, the Board can issue license sanctions and potential penalties, including:
- A public censure or reprimand
- Probation, which may require the dentist to report to the Board, limit their practice, and continue professional education to address Board concerns.
- An order requiring remedial education in specific subject areas
- License suspension for a specified period
- Permanent license revocation
Even in cases without the risk of permanent license revocation, dentists placed on probation face ongoing scrutiny and difficulties as they attempt to navigate the new reality of their careers. The LLF National Law Firm can help you confront and respond to serious accusations of wrongdoing or misconduct before your career is significantly impacted.
The Ohio Dental Board License Discipline Process
No one fully understands how hard you worked to earn your Ohio dental license except you. So if you receive a letter in the mail from the Ohio State Dental Board talking about investigations and inquiries into your practice, it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed. The LLF National Law Firm can help you understand your situation and work with you through Ohio’s dentist disciplinary process, which includes the following steps:
- Complaint and Initial Investigation: The Board’s website clearly explains how patients and other members can file complaints against dentists. The Board’s supervisory investigative panel will review allegations and determine whether to open a formal investigation when complaints allege violations of the Dental Practice Act. During the investigation, Board staff may request patient records, interview witnesses, and even conduct inspections of your dental practice.
- Notice of Opportunity for Hearing: When the Board decides to proceed with a case based on the investigation, it will inform you of your right to request an administrative hearing. If you fail to request a hearing, the Board will make its disciplinary decision without hearing your side of the story. The Board is also clear that you can work with experienced License Defense attorneys, like the LLF National Law Firm, to coordinate with the Board and decide how to proceed. Many procedural issues can jeopardize your defense before you even reach your hearing, and our Professional License Defense Team will handle all the details and ensure you request the hearing you deserve.
- Negotiations and Consent Agreements: Before proceeding to a formal hearing, settlement can resolve many cases. The Board’s Secretary has the authority to negotiate consent agreements on behalf of the Board, as long as you are willing to admit to the allegations. Agreements may include stipulations regarding sanctions, remedial education, practice limitations, or probation terms. Consent agreements avoid the time and public nature of a formal hearing, but they most often result in some form of sanction or restriction. You should only accept a consent agreement after weighing your options with the LLF National Law Firm and determining whether continuing to a formal hearing is the better option.
- Administrative Hearing: Formal hearings before the Ohio State Dental Board are public affairs and operate similarly to trials. An Ohio Assistant Attorney General from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office represents the Board and will present evidence to prove the allegations against you. You may also be called as a witness and questioned about your conduct. With our Professional License Defense Team, you can cross-examine prosecution witnesses, introduce your own evidence, and present a defense to the details of the complaint.
- Board Decision and Appeals: After the hearing, the Board issues a final Order detailing its decision and any sanctions imposed. If you receive an unfavorable decision, you have fifteen days to file an appeal with the court of common pleas in the county where you reside or practice, such as the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court or the Greene County Court of Common Pleas. The LLF National Law Firm Team can also help you pursue a stay of discipline to help you continue practicing dentistry in Dayton while you await the outcome of your appeal.
Throughout this process, the Board also maintains authority to impose summary suspensions in cases involving immediate threats to public safety. With so many moving parts and the ever-present risks to your dental license if things go wrong, get in touch with the LLF National Law Firm as soon as you receive notice of a complaint against you. Our Professional License Defense Team has experience representing Dayton dentists and will fight to achieve the best possible outcome in your disciplinary case.
The Risks of License Sanctions for Dentists in the Dayton Metro Area
Dental license sanctions often involve immediate penalties and restrictions on how you work. However, the actual disciplinary mechanisms are only one small part of the process. Sanctions, both big and small, introduce unique hurdles and make it much harder for you to build a dental career in Dayton, Greenville, Springfield, and beyond.
Every month, the Ohio State Dental Board publishes a Formal Action Report, which any interested party can access with a single click. Without much effort, patients searching for information about local dentists will be able to find your name listed alongside the outcome of your disciplinary case. Potential employers find this information during background checks, and liability insurers reviewing your coverage applications will have all the details about your license status.
In addition, the Board must report any action it takes against your license to the National Practitioner Data Bank, further increasing the scrutiny you face throughout your career. Importantly, the Board reports to this data bank regardless of whether your case ends through negotiated agreements or Board orders following a hearing. That’s why it’s extremely important to work with the LLF National Law Firm when negotiating with the Board, aiming for the fewest possible sanctions to protect your career in the future.
License limitations and suspensions can also interrupt the patient relationships you spent years building, with restrictions following you wherever you go in the state. If you travel and work throughout Western Ohio, Board restrictions impact the level of care that you can provide to patients in Springfield, Sidney, and Urbana. Temporary restrictions can drive loyal patients to seek care from other providers, and those patients may not return once the restrictions lift.
And when your disciplinary outcome involves probation, you may spend a significant chunk of time focusing on compliance. Board-mandated remedial education courses and practice monitoring consume time that could otherwise be spent treating patients and growing a practice. At the same time, focusing too much on keeping your patients happy may cause you to lose track of your compliance requirements, which could restart the Ohio disciplinary process.
Dayton dentists should do everything they can to keep their license free of sanctions and restrictions on their practice. The LLF National Law Firm Team understands how disruptive disciplinary proceedings can be, and our Professional License Defense Team will fight for an outcome that allows you to continue serving your community. Protecting your dental license means protecting your livelihood and professional reputation at the same time.
Experienced License Defense for Dayton, Ohio Dentists
Dentists throughout the Dayton metro area work hard every day to care for patients and keep their smiles bright. The Ohio State Dental Board’s hundreds of regulations and expectations create numerous opportunities for alleged violations, and you need to protect your dentist license when it comes under threat.
If you have received notice of a complaint against you or encounter any other challenge to your dental license in Ohio, call the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or contact us through our website. Our Professional License Defense Team has direct experience helping Dayton, Kettering, and Springfield dentists when serious allegations threaten to harm successful careers in Western Ohio.