An Ankeny dentist who is being sued for alleged malpractice is now facing disciplinary charges of professional incompetence.
The Iowa Dental Board has charged Dr. Steven Yuan of Aspen Dental in Ankeny with failure to maintain a reasonably satisfactory standard of competency in the practice of dentistry, and with knowingly making misleading, deceptive, untrue, or fraudulent representations in the practice of the profession.
As is customary with all of Iowa’s licensing board actions, the Iowa Dental Board has not publicly disclosed the alleged conduct that gave rise to the disciplinary charges or stated when that conduct is alleged to have occurred. Board records indicate two investigations into Yuan’s conduct were initiated by the board at some point in 2023.
The board filed the charges against Yuan on Feb. 9, 2026, but they were only recently made public. A board hearing on the charges is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2026.
Yuan and Aspen Dental are currently defendants in a civil lawsuit that was filed April 10, 2026, by Linda M. Clouser of Boone.
The lawsuit alleges that on May 28, 2024, Clouser visited Aspen Dental in Ankeny and was examined by Yuan, who recommended the surgical extraction of all of her existing upper teeth in anticipation of a full upper-denture implant. The estimated cost of the treatment was $4,774 for tooth extractions and installation of the full upper denture.
The lawsuit claims Yuan extracted 13 of Clouser’s teeth but failed to perform an adequate bone reduction or alveoloplasty to eliminate sharp, uneven bone so as to better ensure a stable, comfortable foundation for dentures. The lawsuit claims Clouser was left with painful and bloody gums that caused considerable distress and interfered with her ability to eat.
The denture Yuan and Aspen Dental then provided Clouser interfered with her speaking, eating and swallowing; impeded her tongue movement, and “had an outrageous appearance,” the lawsuit claims.
In June 2024, Yuan allegedly ordered a remake of the dentures to be fitted on July 1, 2024. However, the lawsuit claims, Clouser was in extreme pain and suffering from swelling in her mouth, and Yuan “would not see Ms. Clouser” when she arrived at the clinic that day.
A different dentist, Dr. Marion Jane Blount, attempted to fit Clouser with the remade dentures but without success, the lawsuit claims, and then informed Clouser that Yuan said he couldn’t make any dentures of any kind for her “because her mouth was deformed.”
The Aspen Dental staff had provided Clouser with a “CareCredit” account to pay for her dental procedures, although that expense was significantly increased by an interest rate of 19.90%, the lawsuit claims. Clouser allegedly asked for a refund from Aspen Dental, but that request was denied.
Clouser was later examined by other dental professionals who advised her that reconstructive oral surgery was necessary, the lawsuit claims.
Yuan and his fellow defendants have yet to file a response to the lawsuit’s allegations, and a trial date has yet to be set. Yuan did not return messages Thursday from Iowa Capital Dispatch seeking comment for this story.
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.
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.
