A Seattle Post-Intelligencer investigation found that the dental board has been slow to act and has cut generous deals with some of the state's most complained-about dentists. At the P-I's request, several dental board members and staffers from states around the country reviewed actions taken by the Washington's dental board -- the Dental Quality Assurance Commission -- and agreed that Washington has given some dentists much more leeway than they deserve.

PART ONE

Some dentists barred elsewhere practice here
Washington is often more lenient with problem dentists and slower to act against them than other states, a Seattle Post-Intelligencer investigation has found. While repeat-offender dentists are rare, they treat thousands of patients and rack up hundreds of complaints.

From the case files ...
- Some dentists who are denied the right to practice in other states are allowed to practice in Washington, as these three examples show.

- The state's disciplinary system for dentists and other health professionals is often slow to act, as these three examples illustrate.

PART TWO

Two deaths, no fault
Bellevue oral surgeon Clem Pellett has had two patients die soon after being treated in his office. The dental board did not find him at fault in either case, and they are not mentioned on the state's credential check Web site, which only publishes cases that closed with sanctions.

Death cases closed quietly
Seattle dentist and doctor Thomas Laney learned below-the-neck cosmetic surgery through a series of short classes rather than with a traditional residency or fellowship. He's attracted attention for that -- and for a string of cash settlements and a 2000 death in his surgical clinic.

Dental board unaware of death
An anesthesiologist hired by a Seattle dentist in the wake of a death in the dentist's office also had a patient death in his recent past. That fact was unknown to the president of the dental board until the P-I told him.

PART THREE

Punishment for dentists? They go to class
Continuing education is often ordered in cases when dental care is found to be substandard. But some experts feel that continuing education doesn't work -- especially when there's no system to check whether dentists have actually improved their work.

'Experts' are key in dental cases
The way two recent death investigations were handled suggests that the state Health Department should examine the way it uses hired medical experts.

Changes urged to improve system
Key changes in Washington's system of monitoring and disciplining dentists could result in much better protection for the public, experts say.

A dentist here could have had his license revoked elsewhere
Holes in the reporting system mean state officials have no guaranteed way of learning about disciplinary actions taken against Washington dentists by other states. A Washington dentist could have his license revoked in Maine, and Washington might never learn of it.

From the case files ...
The state often gives dentists two to three years to take "continuing education" to improve their skills -- more than most states allow. These three cases show the system is not always effective.

FOLLOW-UPS

Legislators urged to fix dental regulation
The House Health Committee will likely hold hearings on the state's system for disciplining dentists and other health professionals.