Abbotsford dentist suspended for 12 months over misconduct

A dentist works on a patient's teeth in this file photo.

An Abbotsford dentist has agreed to a year-long suspension from practising and $10,000 in penalties after admitting to misconduct for the second time in the last three years.

Dr. Kyle Nawrot reached a consent order with the B.C. College of Oral Health Professionals in late August, and the order was published on the college's website this week. 

In it, Nawrot admits to several acts of misconduct, summarized by the college as follows:

• Failing to respond to communications from the college in a timely manner.
• Providing treatment that fell below the college’s expected standards by (1) providing extensive restorative treatment in a single session rather than over multiple sessions and (2) performing restorative treatments that were not supported by the records and by removing tooth structure that was excessive in several teeth.
• Billing for treatment when the need for the treatment was not supported by records.
• Providing treatment without having sufficiently obtained or documented valid informed consent.
• Failing to maintain adequate patient records.

The college became aware of the misconduct when two patients submitted complaints about Nawrot in 2021.

Nawrot is still subject to an earlier consent order, which he agreed to in February 2020. 

In that case, Nawrot admitted to misconduct that included providing "treatment and procedures that were unnecessary, excessive, inappropriate, and/or not supported by a diagnosis;" administering "sedative agents that went beyond minimal sedation," which he was not qualified to do; and inappropriate billing, among other things.

Under the 2020 consent order, Nawrot was suspended for nine months, from February through October of that year. He was also required to undergo what the college called "extensive remedial education."

One of the instances of misconduct he admitted to last month was failing to complete an ethics course that was required under the previous consent order.

Under the latest order, Nawrot will be prohibited from practising from Oct. 1 of this year through Sept. 30, 2024.

During that time, he cannot earn money from the profession or be involved in any aspect of patient care, but he is allowed to be involved in administrative and financial aspects of any dental practice he owns.

"During the suspension, he must prominently post signage at his most recent location of practice to inform patients that he is suspended from practice," the summary of the consent order on the college's website reads.

Nawrot was also ordered to pay a $6,000 fine, plus $4,000 toward the cost of the college's investigation.

He's also required to complete the college's "avoiding complaints" course and the ethics course he failed to complete last time, or another program approved by the college.

"Dr. Nawrot must ensure his staff completes a training session on managing and extracting clinical records from his dental records vendor," the summary indicates.