WASHINGTON — A D.C. dentist has been barred from practicing in the District after an investigation into him showed multiple 'predatory' violations.
The District of Columbia Board of Dentistry revoked Mark McClure's license and barred him from reapplying for licensure to practice dentistry for at least five years in D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced Friday.
McClure committed repeated violations, Schwalb said, which included engaging in sexual contact with a patient and teaming up with another doctor to threaten and bully her out of reporting it. He also prescribed highly addictive medication to another patient and then abruptly cut her off. This led to medical complications - including a seizure - that required in-patient treatment for 45 days.
In addition, he also treated other patients using pseudoscientific medical procedures outside the practice of dentistry, and then systematically hid and manipulated records to cover it up, according to the attorney general's office.
“McClure demonstrated an abject disregard for his patients’ health, safety, and dignity," said AG Schwalb. "There is no place in the District of Columbia for reckless, deceptive, and predatory dental or medical practitioners, and the Office of Attorney General will continue to ensure that those who break the law are held accountable.”
In its Final Order, the Board of Dentistry found that McClure “knew exactly what he was doing at all times…his every action was a calculated and deliberate attempt to circumvent the law, the standards of professional dental practice, and his consent order agreement, and to thwart the Board’s efforts to regulate his practice of dentistry in the District of Columbia.”
The Board concluded that McClure had:
- Engaged in sexual contact with a patient and other conduct of a sexual nature that a reasonable person would consider lewd or offensive;
- Performed, offered, or attempted to perform services beyond the scope of his dental license;
- Failed to adhere to the standards of acceptable conduct and prevailing practice within the profession of dentistry;
- Failed to keep adequate records;
- Failed to maintain a record for a patient accurately reflecting evaluation and treatment of the patient, including the drugs prescribed, administered, dispensed, and the amount, as well as the name of the dentist or dental hygienist providing services;
- Misrepresented his registration to practice alternative medicine involving natural remedies; and
- Misrepresented his status as a “Doctor of Integrative Medicine,” a license that does not exist in the District.