SAN DIEGO - The state has formally disciplined a dentist accused of performing unnecessary procedures on children.
According to a report by NBC 7, The Dental Board of California has placed Dr. Khuong Nguyen on three years probation. But he is still being allowed to work at least 16 hours per week to maintain his license. Trouble is, dentists in California don't have to disclose any complaints or discipline against them, leaving parents to have to research that information themselves.
“People just don’t have the time to do that," patient safety advocate Marian Hollingsworth tells NBC 7. "They trust the agency to make sure that medical professionals are safe and that’s not always the case.”
The first complaint against Dr. Nguyen was four years ago, leaving many people to wonder why the state board took so long to take action.
“It seems like they protect the dentists more than they do the consumers, and that’s a concern,” said Hollingsworth.
Parents tells KOGO News that their kids were traumatized by Dr. Nguyen and their children have major anxiety when seeing a dentist now because of these past experiences.
While the doctor has closed his own practice in Clairemont, he is still seeing patients at other dental offices.