Disciplinary Procedures, Complaints, and Board Actions
The complaint process
A complaint against an Indiana dentist or hygienist is typically filed with IPLA and referred to the Board of Dentistry. The process generally includes investigation, a determination of probable cause, and an opportunity for a hearing. The licensee must respond to board inquiries and subpoenas; ignoring them can itself become a basis for discipline. The board may resolve cases by settlement or contested order.
Available sanctions
Board actions can include reprimand, censure, probation with conditions, suspension, revocation, civil penalties, and assessment of costs. The board may impose interim or emergency action when there is an immediate risk to the public. The board's authority is regulatory, not a general civil court: it generally does not award damages to a complaining patient.
Worked example
A patient complains that instruments were not sterilized. IPLA opens an investigation and requests the office's sterilization logs. The dentist ignores the request, assuming the complaint will go away. The board finds probable cause based on the patient's statement and the lack of records, and the failure to respond becomes an aggravating factor. The likely range of outcomes includes a reprimand, probation, CE, or suspension depending on the evidence. The lesson is that cooperation and documentation shape the outcome.
Traps that cost marks
- Assuming the board can award money damages to the patient.
- Ignoring an IPLA request because no lawsuit has been filed.
- Missing hearing deadlines or failing to appear.
- Destroying records after a complaint is filed.