A member of the Oregon Board of Dentistry who was facing discipline for allegedly abusing his position and committing other violations has resigned at the governor's request.
John "Matt" Tripp, a dental hygienist who works in Medford, resigned from the board at Gov. John Kitzhaber's request, but he plans to fight a proposed $10,000 fine, according to an oregonlive.com story.
Tripp was accused of offering prescription drugs to people without a prescription and trying to find the identity of someone who submitted a complaint about him.
Last month, Tripp's fellow board members asked the governor's office to take note of their concerns. The board had proposed the fine, a reprimand, and 16 hours of ethics training.
The accusations also included refusing to return dental equipment that he "borrowed" and using his position as a board member to obtain information pertaining to the board's investigation of him.
Tripp, a former police officer, said in the story that he will fight the discipline. Kitzhaber named Tripp to the dental board in 2013. Tripp also supported an effort by Portland dentist Todd Beck, DDS, who sought to remove the names of newly disciplined dentists and dental hygienists from the board's public newsletter.
Dr. Beck and others argued that publicly disclosing the information is unfair and harmful to dentists' businesses. The idea succeeded, but some dentists say the board is trying to protect disciplined dentists from public scrutiny by making the details of disciplinary cases harder to find. Other regulatory boards publish similar information.
The board opens more than 200 investigations a year, according to the story.
