A dental assistant in Washington who had her credential suspended in 2024 for allegedly diverting controlled substances at the dental practice where she worked has been reinstated, according to an order from the Washington State Department of Health.
Tia Riley, who was issued a dental assistant credential in 2019, had it reinstated, according to a press release dated June 11 by the department.
In December 2023, Riley was working at ClearChoice in Seattle and was responsible for stocking and managing the practice’s medication storage area.
She was assisting with a patient’s dental surgery when she was told to get a vial of the pain medication Dilaudid (hydromorphone) and administer it to a patient. She allegedly told staff that she had already disposed of the rest of the vial, according to the order.
Dental practice staff purportedly searched the trash for the empty vial but could not locate it. Then staff searched Riley’s bag and reportedly found a syringe of fentanyl, a vial of Dilaudid, and a package of the highly potent synthetic opioid Dsuvia. The staff took a photo of what they found, according to the department.
An inventory of the practice’s medication storage area was taken, and it was discovered that the count didn’t match with patient administration records. Also, practice staff discovered that Riley allegedly had been handling and wasting controlled substances without witnesses.
Furthermore, her fellow dental assistants reported that Riley had been exhibiting erratic behavior for the past few months. Riley allegedly experienced unusual sweating, scratching, making frequent trips to the medication storage area, and leaving the office to use the bathroom, according to the department.
In 2024, Riley's credential was indefinitely suspended.
