Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1418639
6 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 2021 NO. 4 DENTAL PROFESSIONALS North Carolina dentist permanently surrenders license after investigation into patient's death By Ariana Portalatin L eland, N.C.-based oral surgeon Mark Austin, DDS, sur- rendered his license to the State Board of Dental Examin- ers after the board's investigation into a patient's August 2020 death, NBC affiliate WECT reported Aug. 16. An investigative panel for North Carolina's State Board of Den- tal Examiners found Dr. Austin's actions resulted in the death of Henry Patel, MD, a 53-year-old cardiologist affiliated with Cape Fear Heart Associates in Wilmington, N.C. Dr. Patel reportedly visited Austin Oral and Maxillofacial Sur- gery in Leland in July 2020 to receive a dental implant. Ac- cording to the board's consent order, Dr. Austin administered anesthesia and sedatives to Dr. Patel before and during the procedure. During the procedure, Dr. Patel's oxygen satura- tion levels and heart rate dropped. Dr. Austin first attempted to ventilate Dr. Patel before unsuccessfully attempting to input an endotracheal tube to assist Dr. Patel's breathing, the order said. He then called 911, but Dr. Patel no longer had a heart- beat by the time emergency service personnel arrived. While medics were able to restart Dr. Patel's heart, he was ul- timately placed in an intensive care unit and diagnosed with "irreversible anoxic brain injury" before dying on Aug. 3. The consent order signed by Dr. Austin and the state dental board prevents Dr. Austin from practicing dentistry in North Carolina. The consent order points out that Dr. Austin denies violations of regulations and standard of care and that his ac- tions resulted in Dr. Patel's death, but that he "freely and volun- tarily acknowledge[s] that the Board has sufficient evidence to prove and establish the findings of fact and conclusions of law and to warrant the order of discipline." Investigators also allege that Dr. Austin prescribed controlled substances to staff members and did not keep records tracking substances in his offices. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is reportedly also investigating criminal violations against Dr. Austin. Dr. Austin declined requests for comment by WECT, and his at- torney did not return the news outlet's requests for comment. n 3 top US colleges with dentistry programs, as ranked by US News By Gabrielle Masson T hree universities with dentistry majors are considered some of the best undergraduate universities in the na- tion, according to U.S. News & World Report's Best Col- leges rankings published Sept. 13. U.S. News evaluated more than 1,466 U.S. bachelor's degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of ac- ademic quality. Below are three schools included on the list with dentistry majors. • New York University (New York City) • University of Minnesota-Twin Cities • DePaul University (Chicago) n Dental companies in top 200: Inc. 5000's fastest growing private companies By Gabrielle Masson T wo dental companies ranked in Inc. 5000's 2021 list of top 200 fastest growing private companies. Com- panies are U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and in- dependent. The rankings are based on three-year revenue growth. Below are the two dental companies in the list's top 200 companies: 84. Amazing Dental (Garden City, Mich.) Three-year growth: 4,616 percent Description: Optimizes the dental patient experience while helping patients relax at the same time. 141. Endo1 Partners (Houston) Three-year growth: 2,936 percent Description: Provides back-office and practice management support to endodontic partners. n