A resident of Marion County named Walter Michael Wildman has filed a lawsuit against the Indiana University School of Dentistry, Doctor Desmon Brown, and Mia Schmidt, all of whom practice dentistry in the state of Indiana.
When Walter Michael Wildman, who lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, wanted dental implants, he went to the Indiana University School of Dentistry. However, after receiving his implants, he developed an infection that lasted for two years. Walter claims that it was Doctor Desmond Brown's responsibility that he did not adequately monitor a student at the Indiana University School of Dentistry.
Walter Wildman states, "Dentists in the State of Indiana who fall below the local standard of care shall be held accountable for their actions." Walter made this claim in an email. In order to be paid for his losses, Walter Wildman has lodged a complaint with the Indian Department of Insurance and is now awaiting the outcome of the trial. The Denistry is being sued for the sum of $500,000 by Walter Wildman.
A key component of Michael Wildman's lawsuit is negligence on the part of Doctor Desmon Brown and Indiana University School of Dentistry. Walter Michael Wildman sought the expert opinion of a dental Doctor who could speak to the applicable standard of care in dentistry.
It is Dr. Gopalakrishnan's medical/ dental health opinion that Dr. Brown violated the standard of care as it attained to Mr. Wildman. Dr. Brown's violation began as early as the first appointment Walter Michael Wildman had at Indiana School of Dentistry, when Dr. Brown was not physically present to oversee the dental residents-in-training treating Walter Michael Wildman, though his name appears in Walter Michael Wildman's medical records.
Dr. Brown, as a member of the dental profession, is held to a set of standards outlined by the Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. These standards require faculty to be present and available during critical parts of procedures, prohibit misleading patients about the identity of the doctor performing the operation, and mandate that oral and maxillofacial surgeons personally provide preoperative evaluation, diagnosis, and postoperative care according to accepted treatment parameters. However, in multiple instances, the rendering provider(s) were not authenticated in the medical record of Walter Michael Wildman.
Throughout Walter Michael Wildman's treatment, he was seen by multiple different residents without proper oversight from Dr. Brown, compromising his continuity of care. Dr. Brown and the residents at the Indiana School of Dentistry also failed to obtain full informed consent in multiple instances. Walter Michael Wildman was not informed of the possibility of a long-term infection resulting from a dental implant or the possibility of bodily rejection of the bone graft at the site of tooth #31.
Despite multiple rounds of broad-spectrum antibiotics and being evaluated and/or treated for the same issue more than 15 times, no resolution was obtained. Dr. Brown failed to refer Walter Michael Wildman to other providers, such as a periodontist or medical doctor, and did not consider a bacterial culture in the site of the failed implant to prescribe a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, increasing the risk of antibiotic resistance. Walter Michael Wildman was not seen for emergency treatment until weeks after developing symptoms in the lower right mandible, and radiographs were not obtained at critical points in his care, delaying the diagnosis of peri-implantitis and decreasing the future chances for reimplantation.
Dr. Brown's substandard of care caused injury and/or re-injury to Walter Michael Wildman, resulting in monetary and mental health harm. Michael Wildman is offering expert testimony from Dr. Gopalakrishnan as it will provide the local standard of care opinions and opinions in response to the defendant's experts with a reasonable degree of medical and dental certainty. Dr. Gopalakrishnan can also discuss the local standard of care and review the opinions of several dental organizations, including the American Dental Association and the Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Walter Michael Wildman believes that this lawsuit will prevent others from suffering the same fate. The purpose of dental care standards is to safeguard the public from needless agony and suffering. Walter Michael Wildman intends to persuade others with a similar viewpoint to speak out against the Indian University School of Dentistry.
