Seth Lookhart, an Alaskan dentist, is being charged for 17 counts of fraud and “unlawful dental acts” based on reports that he apparently sedated a patient and proceeded to record the following unusual procedure on film.
Sometime around July 2016, the mentioned incident took place when the accused sedated his patient and performed a routine dental extraction on her all the while riding his hoverboard. Furthermore, the procedure was videotaped and circulated to people outside his dental practice.
According to prosecutors, Lookhart circulated the video of this unusual hovering procedure under the claim of it being a “new standard of care”. Lookhart’s defending attorney, however, did not release any official statement or comments concerning the issue.
Prosecuting attorneys also allege that the patient was completely unaware of her state when the whole incident took place. Shauna Cranford, Lookhart’s office manager, also seems to be in the blue concerning the issue as she had no part to play in this experiment.
According to the papers laid out by the court, hovering extractions qualify as a “Misdemeanor Class B offence under 08.36.340 and being contrary to and in violation of 08.35.315(6) and against the peace and dignity of the state of Alaska.”
Dental office visits are generally an anxiety inducing experience. Such behavior is a violation of the patient’s trust and is strictly unprofessional. Once the patient is under sedation, he or she is completely unaware of his or her surroundings. The ethical concern that remains is that, what could have happened had he slipped or lost balance? The patient’s life was at an obvious risk.
The significance and seriousness of a dental procedure should not be toyed with underestimated. They should be attended to with utmost care, let alone performed while riding a hoverboard.