Indian-Origin Dentist Banned For A Year After Patient Bled To Death In UK

An Indian-origin dentist has been banned from practising dentistry for a year after one of his patients bled to death, hours after he had extracted her teeth in a procedure over two years ago.

Tushar Patel was found to have failed to warn the unnamed female patient of the risks involved as a result of a medication she was already taking.

A General Dental Council (GDC) panel was told at a professional conduct hearing last week that her wounds were also not packed or sutured following the treatment.

"Your failures placed Patient A at a significant and avoidable risk of harm and were in contrary to guidance," a GDC report in reference to Mr Patel's case notes.

"These were basic errors which placed Patient A at significant risk of harm, when this could have, and should have been avoided. This amounted to a repeated disregard for patient safety which can be described as serious. The committee has determined that your fitness to practice is currently impaired by reason of your misconduct," it said.

Mr Patel, who worked at Confidential Clinics in Purley area of Surrey, near London, was said to have over 30 years of experience in the field of dentistry.

The GDC was involved after the death of the patient he treated for advanced gum disease in July 2017.

The patient had been taking a blood-thinning medicine called Warfarin for a rare blood condition that causes clotting. Mr Patel removed all of her upper teeth during two appointments within a week, but failed to warn her of the increased risk of bleeding she faced because of the tablets she was taking, the dental panel was told.

Hours after her final appointment, she was rushed to the emergency department of a hospital after collapsing at home with "bleeding from her mouth" and died soon after.

At an inquest in March 2018, the coroner determined that the medical cause of death was haemorrhage from the tooth extraction site, Warfarin treatment and dental extraction.

The GDC hearing proved a total of eight charges against Mr Patel over his treatment of the patient and suspended Mr Patel's registration to practice for the maximum period of 12 months.

"There were multiple errors and a failure to follow the appropriate guidance. These were basic errors which placed the patient at significant risk of harm. This was not a single error, but a catalogue of errors," it concluded.

The GDC report noted that Mr Patel had accepted "the most serious consequences of your actions" and expressed remorse and apologised to the patient's family.