A Cedar Rapids dentist has agreed to surrender his license after the Iowa Dental Board charged him with failing to maintain competency standards and inappropriately prescribing drugs, according to an Oct. 2 story in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The action was one of several sanctions issued recently by the Iowa Dental Board against several Iowa dentists who have previously been accused of professional incompetence, fraud and sexual misconduct involving a patient.
In the Cedar Rapids case, the board alleged Masih Safabakhsh of Gentle Dental performed root canal and crown services on teeth that did not need treatment while failing to treat teeth that required care. The board also alleged he “routinely prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily.”
Mr. Safabakhsh has a history of disciplinary actions dating back more than a decade. In December 2011, the board charged him with gross malpractice and issued an emergency order restricting his practice. The board alleged he used cutting or grinding devices on multiple patients to “excessively” separate teeth to place orthodontic bands, causing severe and irreversible damage to the teeth.
That emergency order barred him from performing orthodontics on new patients, citing “immediate danger to the public.” In January 2012, Mr. Safabakhsh agreed to a permanent restriction on using cutting or grinding devices to separate teeth for orthodontic bands and paid a $7,500 fine.
Six months later, in July 2012, the board immediately suspended Mr. Safabakhsh’s dental license after receiving complaints from multiple employees about a patient who suffered a medical emergency. The patient received 16 cartridges of local anesthetic and required ambulance transport to a hospital. A board consultant alleged the dosage was three times the manufacturer-specified maximum, though staff reportedly said patients regularly received 10 to 16 cartridges.
The board also alleged that after the incident, Mr. Safabakhsh’s staff received written instructions not to call an ambulance unless requested by a doctor or patient. He was also accused of performing substandard root canal and tooth restoration work and billing for services not performed or documented.
The board fined Mr. Safabakhsh $10,000. After completing remedial training, the board reinstated his license in August 2014 with conditions and indefinite probation. In April 2022, the board reinstated his license without restrictions and terminated his probation.
This brief is based on information from a story published Oct. 2 by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Republished with permission.
