Kentucky suspends more than 180 dentists, angers health advocates
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Oral health advocates in Kentucky are fuming over what they call “a bureaucratic nightmare” that led to the temporary suspensions of more than 180 dentists.
The suspensions are especially troublesome in a state that struggles with poor dental health, said Dea Riley, head of the Appalachian Roundtable, an advocacy group for residents of the state's impoverished mountain region.
A study by the Kentucky Institute of Medicine last year found that 37 percent of Kentucky adults were missing at least six teeth.
Despite those dismal statistics, the Kentucky Board of Dentestry ordered the suspensions of dentists who missed a Dec. 31 deadline to submit paperwork and pay a $230 fee. Lisa Turner, the dental board's interim executive director, said 187 practicing dentists were affected. All have since returned to work.
Story created Mar 18, 2008 - 11:41:25 EDT.
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