A senior dentist who owns surgeries across the north-east has been found guilty of misconduct.
John Mark Donaldson – the group practice owner of Peterhead-based Balmoor Dental Surgeries – was ordered to appear at an General Dental Council (GDC) hearing last week.
Mr Donaldson practises at Queen Street Dental Centre but also manages practices in Aberdeen, Ellon and Elgin.
He admitted a string of charges centred on clinical care, record-keeping and a failure to obtain informed consent from a patient.
All of the charges were concerned with one individual, known only as Patient A, between April 2007 and March 2011.
However, the hearing panel found that while the breaches amounted to misconduct, Mr Donaldson’s fitness to practise was not impaired.
Among the charges he admitted was failing to provide a sufficient treatment plan” and failing to discuss the full risks of surgery.
Mr Donaldson also failed to diagnose a fragment of retained implant in the patient, and “produced a poor standard of dental treatment regarding implants”.
In addition, the dentist also admitted his record-keeping of the patient’s condition was inadequate, and that he did not record the clinical justification for the extraction of Patient A’s remaining teeth in July 2007, or the anaesthetic used during the procedure.
Mr Donaldson was also accused of failing to discuss treatment options with the patient, and not providing sufficient “post-operative” instruction, however, these charges were not proven.
At the end of the four-day hearing, the GDC’s panel determined Mr Donaldson could continue to practise as a dentist.
Mr Donaldson could not be reached for a comment on the outcome of the case last night.