Hilo dentist quits as complaints mount

With the state investigating 12 complaints against him, Dr. John D. Stover called it quits as an oral surgeon and dentist on Hawaii island, news that was welcomed by the Hawaii Dental Association.

Stover had offices in Hilo, Kona and Wai­mea, doing business as Cosmetic Centers of Hawaii. His staff informed dental colleagues that he would no longer handle patients after Friday.

"Today is his last day of work," a Hilo dentist who had referred patients to Stover for oral surgery told the Hono­lulu Star-Advertiser Friday morning on condition of anonymity. "We did confirm that."

Stover did not respond to calls and an email from the Star-Advertiser, and his attorney, Arthur Roeca, said he had no comment. Calls to Cosmetic Centers of Hawaii went to voicemail Friday afternoon.

Anguished friends and relatives of Kristen Tavares had picketed Stover’s office in Hilo, asking the state to revoke his licenses. They said Tavares, a mother of two, had plunged into a coma while having her wisdom teeth extracted by him March 17. She was flown to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where she remains unresponsive.

"She is still the same; nothing has changed," Anela Libron, who has known her since childhood, said Friday.

Libron is organizing a fundraising car wash from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at Sweetwater Health Education on Wai­a­nue­nue Avenue in Hilo. The proceeds will be put in a trust for family expenses and for Tava­res’ sons, one of whom is just a few months old. Tavares turned 24 while in the hospital.

The Hawaii Dental Association stressed that Stover was not a member of its association, and lamented the fact that he set up practice in Hawaii.

"It’s a shame this person was allowed to practice dentistry in Hawaii," Dr. Lili Horton, president of Hawaii Dental Association, said in a written statement regarding Stover in response to an inquiry from the Star-Advertiser. "Over our objections, the Legislature created a loophole in 2005 that allowed several dentists to come to Hawaii and set up a practice, without going through a rigorous exam. Stover was one of those dentists."

"Dr. Lilly L. Geyer (nee Tsou) whose patient, 3-year-old Finley Puleo Boyle, died after suffering massive brain damage while in Geyer’s care was another. Neither of these dentists were members of the Hawaii Dental Association, which represents 92 percent of all Hawaii dentists. Our association encourages elected officials and regulatory agencies to protect the public’s health by ensuring only highly qualified dentists are allowed to practice in Hawaii."

Stover was licensed as a medical doctor in Hawaii in 2001 and as a dentist in 2005. He was among 87 dentists licensed in Hawaii by regional exam or credential during a transition period after the Hawaii Board of Dental Examiners stopped administering its own test and before it began requiring dentists to pass a national exam.

Stover had previously been licensed as a dentist and an oral and facial surgeon in Louisiana. He has no disciplinary history in that state, and those licenses remain active, according to the Louisiana dental and medical boards.

He is certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, as shown in that board’s database. In addition, Stover’s website says he is certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the National Board of Dental Anesthesiology, and has a doctorate in anatomy.

The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs website shows that Stover had seven complaints filed against him this year as a doctor and as a dentist, most after the Tavares case was publicized.

Three complaints were lodged last year, and two the year before. All 12 complaints are still pending and under investigation, and the department will release no further details. Another complaint filed against him in 2010 was closed the following year for insufficient evidence.

Investigators from the Regulated Industries Complaints Office, part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, visited his office earlier this month. Brent Suyama, spokes­man for the department, said the probes are still underway.

"A licensee closing their practice does not halt any investigation," Suyama said. "Our investigations continue until we decide there is insufficient evidence, or we take a course of action on the disciplinary side, or a settlement is reached."

Consequences include fines, suspension, revocation or voluntary surrender of licenses. The department handles only civil complaints focused on licenses, not criminal cases, Suyama said.

In 2013 the department received 20 complaints statewide involving the dental profession, he said. The previous year there were 30, and in 2011 there were 16.

Suyama encouraged people to file complaints when problems crop up with licensees in any profession.

"If we don’t know about it, we can’t do anything about it," he said. "When you hear multiple complaints about one licensee, it will definitely raise a red flag."