Failure to Provide Timely Dental Services for Resident with Documented Tooth Fragment
Penalty
Summary
Failure to ensure dental services were provided occurred when a resident with intact cognition and documented dental needs did not receive timely follow-up care. The resident, admitted with diagnoses including muscle wasting, legal blindness, and anemia, reported that obtaining dental care at the facility had always been a problem. He stated his mouth felt "weird," he had ongoing dental pain when eating, and he therefore mainly ate soft foods. He reported seeing the dentist only once and not thereafter, and described repeated issues with scheduling, including the facility attributing delays to insurance or paperwork, the resident having to initiate appointments himself, and last-minute cancellations without explanation. Despite these complaints, the resident’s MDS oral/dental section showed no responses indicating mouth or facial pain, chewing difficulty, or problems with teeth or dentures. Record review showed a dental order from an outside dental service documenting that the resident had a mobile root fragment on tooth #8 causing slight discomfort and that the resident was interested in extraction. However, there was no evidence in the progress notes of documentation of tooth pain, a broken tooth, or any follow-up dental services. Social Services notes contained no documentation of offering dental services or any rationale for the lack of access to dental care. The Social Services Director confirmed that the resident had been seen by an in-house dentist for the root fragment and expressed interest in extraction, but could not explain why no follow-up occurred and acknowledged that the resident had not been seen when the dental company was later on-site. The SSD also stated the resident’s income was very low and that he did not have enough to cover patient liability for dental services, and that attempts were being made to contact family about payment responsibility. The facility’s dental policy stated it would assist residents in obtaining routine and emergency dental care, including treatment of broken or damaged teeth or other oral problems requiring immediate attention.
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