Each month, our team at Lightning Dental Charts publishes a recap of notable cases and rulings from the Arizona Dental Board. These real-world scenarios highlight the clinical, documentation, and risk-management pitfalls that most often lead to board scrutiny. They also offer important lessons for practicing dentist who wants to stay ahead of Board expectations.
Below are three instructive takeaways from the October 2025 meeting of the Arizona Dental Board, along with our commentary on why they matter for your practice, charting, and risk management.
- Anterior Restoration Treatment Planning
A patient presented without bilateral posterior occlusion and required multiple anterior restorations. The treating dentist completed the anterior work but did not address the lack of posterior support.
The Board reaffirmed a key biomechanical principle: without molar support, anterior teeth are exposed to excessive forces they are not designed to withstand. Any treatment plan in this situation must include a strategy for restoring posterior function.
A lingering question—and one worth noting—is whether a dentist should even begin anterior restorative work (beyond urgent pain relief) if the patient refuses posterior implants or removable options. The Board did not answer this explicitly, but the implication is clear: completing anterior work without a posterior solution invites future board scrutiny.
- Multi-Dentist Practices Treatment Planning
In a group practice, Dentist #1 created the treatment plan while Dentist #2 carried out the restorative phase. When certain restorations later failed, the Board examined whether the handoff and verification process met the standard of care.
Dentist #2 stated they had relied on Dentist #1’s diagnoses.
The Board’s ruling clearly stated that every dentist is independently responsible for confirming the accuracy of a treatment plan before proceeding.
Practitioners cannot rely solely on a colleague’s assessment without performing their own verification. In multi-provider practices, this standard is essential for risk management, and it underscores why your charting must clearly reflect each provider’s clinical judgment.
- Post-Op PA Required After Extraction?
A dentist performed a simple extraction of tooth #19. Although they believed the entire tooth had been removed after visual inspection, a small root tip remained.
The Board held that a post-extraction periapical radiograph is not required as a standard of care in routine cases unless there is significant, observable missing tooth structure at the time of extraction. However, the Board also emphasized a practical guideline: if there is any doubt, a confirmatory PA is the safer and more defensible option.
Final Thoughts and How Lightning Dental Charts Helps
Situations like these highlight why documentation issues consistently rank as one of the top causes of dental board complaints nationwide. Most board actions stem from documentation gaps, not clinical negligence.
If you’re ready to upgrade your charting workflow while saving meaningful time each day, you can try Lightning Dental Charts for free. Just click here to get started on our 14-day free trial.
