State suspends Puyallup dentist’s permit to administer anesthesia

The state has yanked a Puyallup dentist’s permit to administer anesthesia after she was accused, among other things, of leaving two sedated minor patients unattended, one of whom allegedly left the operating room and wandered into the waiting room while hooked to an IV bag.

The Department of Health reported the action against Dr. Kristine Lazar Grace of Puyallup on Thursday.

Efforts by The News Tribune to reach her for comment were unsuccessful.

In a statement of charges, the Dental Quality Assurance Commission wrote, “Either or both patients were at risk of accidental of self-inflicted injury, lapsing into unconsciousness or respiratory arrest with no one in the operatory to protect them.

“Allowing respondent to administer sedation poses an imminent danger to her patients, and, therefore, to public safety.”

Regulators also contend Grace altered patient records to cover up wrongdoing and failed to adequately record doses of anesthesia she gave to other patients, including a 5-year-old boy.

Grace, who’s worked as a dentist in Washington for 15 years, has 20 days to request a hearing to contest the action.

The alleged misconduct dates to 2013, records show.

The dental commission alleges Grace sometimes left sedated patients alone while she completed surgeries on other patients. The commission also says Grace tried to arrange a coverup when its investigators began asking questions in 2013 and 2014.

“In 2013, respondent instructed a dental assistant to coordinate with other members of respondent’s staff in order to ‘… get their stories straight for the health department,’ ” the records show.

This is the second time since 2009 that Grace has found herself in trouble with the dental commission. She was accused then of diverting Percocet tablets for her own use by prescribing them to a fictitious patient, records show.

Grace adhered to a plan set forth by the dental commission at that time and was released from supervision in September 2014, records show.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "State suspends Puyallup dentist’s permit to administer anesthesia."