An Alaska dentist, Seth Lookhart, is being prosecuted on 17 counts of fraud and "unlawful dental acts." It's one of these alleged dental acts — Count XI — that has moved me.
Court papers filed this week say in or around July 2016, Lookhart "performed a dental extraction procedure on a sedated patient while riding a hoverboard and filmed the procedure and distributed the film to persons outside his dental practice."
[...] What if his hoverboard skills weren't perfect? What if he'd slipped at the vital moment as his tools were gripped around the patient's teeth? Please forgive me if I also mention that hoverboards have been known to explode and catch fire.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/news/dentist-accused-of-extracting-teeth-while-riding-hoverboard-alaska/
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Yesterday, an Ohio plastic surgeon, Katharine Grawe—who accumulated nearly 15 million likes by livestreaming operations on TikTok as "Doctor Roxy"—was permanently banned from practicing medicine and surgery in Ohio.
The decision came following a November 2022 suspension temporarily barring Grawe from seeing patients after the State Medical Board of Ohio reviewed "clear and convincing evidence" from multiple patients who were harmed during Grawe's livestreamed surgeries. The board decided to suspend Grawe's license, saying that her "continued practice presents a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public."
Related: (Don't do dumb things while operating. Sure doesn't help, if you screw things up and it's all on video either.)
Dentist Accused of Extracting Teeth While Riding Hoverboard - 20170426
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:24PM (1 child)
I smell two Darwin Awards coming soon.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:43PM
I seem to visualize it.
If you wish, call it . . . a premonition.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2, Funny) by its_gonna_be_yuge! on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:45PM (2 children)
I wonder if he could see Russia while riding his hoverboard doing his dental extractions.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @04:43PM
But you can't get there unless you've got powa [youtu.be]!
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday April 26 2017, @07:10PM
Well, had his operation failed, he could have blamed it on Russian Hackers and would have the sympathy of the liberal weenies.
(Score: 3, Funny) by fadrian on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:48PM (1 child)
You commie liberals and your pinko socialist licensing! Why shouldn't the dentist have the freedom to ride his hoverboard while performing oral surgery? How will the state of the dental arts advance if not for experimentation? I am incensed that the state interferes in what should be a private matter between doctor and patient! And even if the patient didn't exactly know that this was happening, we don't want to clog the courts with frivolous lawsuits so... tort reform! Did I miss anything?
That is all.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @07:14PM
Did I miss anything?
You did. The most important thing, of course!
This is just another example of a violently imposed monopoly encroaching on our god-given right to have dental work done in whatever way we negotiate with well-defined contracts.
I should be able to negotiate a contract with my dentist to allow this. What I really want is oral surgery while sky diving. However, none of the dentists I've approached about doing this have agreed.
All of them refused my request, not because it was insane, but because they feared reprisals from the violently imposed monopoly laughingly called "government."
We need a mature society where I can have oral surgery while sky diving. Or scuba diving.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:52PM
The volcano went off or the meteor struck. What if is pointless only what did happen, matters.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @03:56PM (6 children)
I think what this dentist did is condemn-able, but should it be illegal? Why should the state be interfering in this case? If the patient were injured, then there could be a crime. However, do we really want such an extensive state that "acting dumb" is per say illegal? I hate the trend to over-criminalize everything, and in my opinion this dentist's actions falls under that heading.
In my opinion, he should be examined by the dental certification board (or whatever), a patients may have a civil malpractice lawsuit against him (although seeing how the patient could have said "no" and walked away it's a bit hard to argue). In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the "free market" in this case would help resolve things, as if patients really are offended by the dentist's blatant stupidity they'll just stop seeing him. No need for the state to get involved.
(Score: 4, Informative) by n1 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @04:28PM
I'd guess it's in the same arena as speeding is illegal, even if you don't have a car accident... Taking unnecessary risks with potential to cause injury is negligence. Another example would be building code violations, just because the building didn't fall down or the electrical installation didn't kill anyone yet doesn't make it safe.
It's an odd situation for sure, but in the general context of making a medical procedure more unsafe just for fun is a fairly clear case of negligence to me, even if the patient wasn't concerned. The medical professional is the one with the responsibility and duty of care.
(Score: 3, Touché) by deadstick on Wednesday April 26 2017, @04:29PM (1 child)
although seeing how the patient could have said "no" and walked away
You mean the sedated patient?
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @04:46PM
Of course! Any good Randian bootstrapper is capable of negotiation in his sleep! Literally! You mean you can't negotiate while sedated? Are you some kind of untermensch?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by urza9814 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:23PM (1 child)
Even if we totally ignore the negligence of operating a motor vehicle while operating, he's still guilty of HIPPA violations for spreading around videos of himself operating on sedated patients. I'm kinda shocked that all the comments here are 100% focused on the hoverboard angle and nobody has bothered to consider patient privacy...you can't just do any random shit to a sedated patient without their consent then throw the videos up on YouTube for the whole damn world to see. I don't give a shit if he filmed a textbook example of a perfect extraction, it'd still be illegal. Although the hoverboard *does* provide some pretty solid evidence that there really wasn't any medical justification for his actions. He wasn't trying to improve his practice or provide a service to the patients, he was just violating their rights for a laugh. Revoke his license at a minimum; if he can't follow the most basic standards of professional ethics, he can go find a new profession.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @06:21PM
Hippa [youtube.com].
But don't worry, hippos are also involved in HIPAA compliance [youtube.com].
(Sorry, pet peeve.)
(Score: 1) by zaxus on Wednesday April 26 2017, @06:40PM
Sharing video of the procedure without the patient's consent is a HIPAA violation.
"I do have a cause, though. It is obscenity...I'm for it." - Tom Lerher
(Score: 2, Funny) by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- on Wednesday April 26 2017, @04:06PM (4 children)
not to be too blase, but isn't tooth extraction something that was done with a string connected to a door or a pair of pliers by barely trained "barbers" back in the day?
It's not like he was doing a root canal while playing guitar hero. Now *that* I'd like to see.
https://newrepublic.com/article/114112/anonymouth-linguistic-tool-might-have-helped-jk-rowling
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:37PM
Just because medicine practice may have been crude in the past is no excuse to not give the highest standards of care available today.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:38PM
It's called being unprofessional.
Next up, tooth extraction while balancing on a tight-rope, without a net.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @06:35PM
The ancients used to drill holes in peoples head. So I guess no standards during brain surgery?
(Score: 1) by tftp on Wednesday April 26 2017, @08:41PM
isn't tooth extraction something that was done with a string connected to a door or a pair of pliers by barely trained "barbers" back in the day?
Extraction is only half of the problem. Sometimes there is serious infection under the tooth. This can kill you. Back in the day you'd just die and be written off. Today you only hear the list of films and bone grafts that the oral surgeon used, and take antibiotics for a couple of weeks.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Techwolf on Wednesday April 26 2017, @04:32PM (1 child)
How far off the ground did it hover at?
(Score: 3, Funny) by dyingtolive on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:01PM
I'm told zero above ground. But it'll do that zero in any unit of distance you want it to!
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 4, Informative) by Sulla on Wednesday April 26 2017, @04:57PM (5 children)
The last time anyone in my family went to a dentist in Alaska my wife was told that her checkup went great and she just had a few things to keep an eye on.
She was experiencing some tooth pain so I took her to my dentist in Oregon, she had 7 cavities. Dentist put the scan up on the board to point them all out to us, it was pretty evident that they were there. With only two weeks between the two appointments I find it hard to believe that they just happened over those two weeks.
Alaskan dentists? Never again.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:39PM (3 children)
I don't live there and wouldn't know, but it is possible that not all dentists in Alaska are equally bad. A problem might be finding a good one near you, if there are any.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:46PM (2 children)
My wife had gone through five or six dentists that she found lacking in ability, ended up just going to my dentist when we did family vacations until we moved.
I am sure there is a good one somewhere, we were just unable to find one.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:51PM (1 child)
That is unfortunate. It would be worse if it were doctors instead of dentists.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @07:20PM
that with Doctors, it is hard for the patient to file a complaint if the condition was bad enough. And for those patients who DO pass, there is plenty of permafrost to dispose of them in until the next season :)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 27 2017, @06:27AM
There was a documentary on dentists in Canada. Every single one told the same person something different. I'd expect the same would be true in USA as well. Most dentistry is bullshit. Did you know you don't need toothpaste? Most of them have near zero net benefit and many actually cause harm.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:11PM
Here I was all enthusiastic that hoverboards were finally a thing. And then I saw the image.
That thing has WHEELS!!!
Wheels are for rolling over the ground!
There is nothing there that in any way, shape or form can be said to be hovering!
That is by definition NOT a hoverboard!
I have been lied to!
Oh the huge manatee!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @11:53PM (1 child)
Do you want to come back to my place, bouncy-bouncy?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 27 2017, @07:18AM
"My hoverboard is full of eels." "And it does not actually 'hover'."