A Linn County, IA, dentist charged with practicing dentistry in a manner that is harmful to the public has been ordered to undergo remedial training.
Iowa Dental Board records indicate the board recently charged dentist Terra Hickey of Center Point, IA, with practicing in a manner that is harmful or detrimental to the public. Hickey has been an Iowa-licensed dentist since July 2000.
The board alleges that Hickey, who works at Center Point Family Dentistry, at some unspecified time in the past failed to recognize tooth decay, failed to complete a thorough removal of decay, failed to properly place restorations, and failed to adequately inform patients of their diagnosis and treatment plans. The board adds that Hickey’s failure to diagnose cavities in multiple patients resulted in tooth extractions.
Board records indicate the investigation of Hickey’s practice was initiated in 2023.
The board recently agreed to resolve the case with a settlement agreement that calls for Hickey to complete a comprehensive remedial education program as well as a board-approved course on ethics.
In addition, Hickey’s license will be placed on probation for one year, during which a sampling of Hickey’s work will be reviewed by a dental-practice monitor. Hickey will also be required to pay $1,200 “for probation,” according to the agreement.
Board issues order in patient-death case
The Iowa Dental Board has issued a final order in a disciplinary case involving a dentist accused of contributing to the death of a patient.
An Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing database indicates the board issued the order involving dentist Jonathan Karch two weeks ago on April 30. However, board documents outlining the terms of the final order have yet to be made publicly available, and the board’s website indicates there are no public records of any disciplinary action ever taken against Karch.
Last fall, the board issued an emergency order restricting Karch’s practice after a patient who underwent a dental-implant procedure in January 2024 died. At the time, the board alleged Karch, who worked at the Dental Studio of Iowa in Johnston, did not stay in the operatory for the duration of the procedure, in violation of state regulations.
In issuing the emergency order restricting Karch’s ability to practice, the board said it recognized “(Karch) as an imminent threat to public safety” and stated that he “should not be permitted to participate in procedures involving sedation until further order.”
The emergency order was issued nine months after the alleged death and coincided with a civil lawsuit filed against Karch and others involved in the surgery. The lawsuit, filed in Polk County District Court by the family of Joseph Daniels, stated that on January 26, 2024, the 50-year-old Daniels underwent a dental-implant operation that began at 7:15 a.m. and was completed at 3:15 p.m.
Around 3:30 p.m., paramedics were dispatched to the Dental Studio of Iowa with a report of an “unconscious person.” According to the lawsuit, the paramedics arrived at 3:40 p.m. and found Daniels in a dental exam chair “pale, cyanotic, cool and unresponsive.” Daniels was then taken to Iowa Methodist Medical Center, where he died at 5:51 p.m.
This article was originally published in the Iowa Capital Dispatch and republished by DrBicuspid under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence.
Deputy Editor Clark Kauffman has worked during the past 30 years as both an investigative reporter and editorial writer at two of Iowa’s largest newspapers, the Des Moines Register and the Quad-City Times.
