Florida dentists are held accountable

The Nov. 22 letter “Quite a bite” erroneously says dentists are not “regulated by the state medical board” nor “held accountable.”

I have been a proud member of the dental profession for more than 30 years. The Board of Medicine regulates physicians in our state, whereas the Board of Dentistry is the regulatory agency overseeing the laws and rules governing the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene in Florida.

Similar regulatory agencies are in place — including boards of Nursing, Pharmacy, Podiatry, and others — all falling under the Department of Health, and by which all healthcare professionals are held accountable should negligent actions that harm the public occur.

Other systems are also in place for accountability, including civil and criminal courts, and even criminal – where any dentist could be held accountable.

Another beneficial, but lesser-known, option for concerns related to one’s dental treatment is peer review, through our local South Florida District Dental Association (SFDDA.org), which has implications for a dentist’s membership status in the American and Florida Dental Associations (choosing a dentist who is an ADA/FDA member is also a worthy recommendation), which avoids the legal system entirely, and often with results of amicable solutions on behalf of patients.

As in many professions, there are a few “bad apples.” However, I believe the overwhelming majority of those in medicine, dentistry and other allied healthcare professions are genuinely concerned about helping patients they serve and, above all, doing right by them and their health and well being.