A patient in Lakewood died while having teeth pulled. Now, a dentist has been suspended
A Lakewood dentist’s license has been suspended over allegations of unsafe practices after a patient died while having multiple teeth removed last year, the Washington State Department of Health said.
The patient had a significant medical history and was undergoing the June 2022 dental procedure prior to planned heart valve surgery. The patient was under moderate sedation for roughly five minutes before experiencing drops in oxygen-saturation level, heart rate and blood pressure, according to a health department document outlining the allegations against dentist Thi D. Nguyen.
The patient was pronounced dead after first responders tried for approximately 40 minutes to revive him, the document said.
Nguyen, who owns Gravelly Lake Dentistry, rejected wrongdoing in a statement this week to The News Tribune and suggested that he’d respond to the state health department’s claims and request a hearing within the 20-day limit afforded to health care providers in Washington following disciplinary action.
“At this time, I deny all allegations and look forward to proving this at the hearing,” Nguyen said in an email.
The state’s Dental Quality Assurance Commission summarily suspended Nguyen’s credentials to practice as a dentist on Nov. 1, pending further disciplinary proceedings by the commission, according to a health department order.
The health department contends Nguyen, who’s been a practicing dentist in the state since 2002, failed to:
▪ Adequately and accurately assess his patient’s risk level.
▪ Properly consult with the patient’s treating physicians.
▪ Take consistent and accurate vitals before and during the teeth extractions.
▪ Pay attention or respond to increasingly poor vital signs.
▪ Provide an adequate dose of flumazenil to fully reverse the effects of benzodiazepines in his patient’s system as his patient went into decline.
“As a result of his alleged actions and omissions, Respondent put Patient A in a position in which he was unlikely to recover, particularly given his age and comorbidities,” the department’s order said.
Nguyen has been practicing in the Lakewood area for a decade, according to Gravelly Lake Dentistry’s website, which said Nguyen “is committed to comprehensive dental care, and strives to offer as well as deliver the best dental technology to his patients.”
Anyone may call 360-236-4700 to report alleged unprofessional conduct by a health care provider in the state.
