An eastern Iowa dentist with a history of disciplinary actions is, for the third time, facing allegations of professional incompetence.
The Iowa Dental Board has charged Dr. Masih Safabakhsh of Gentle Dental in Cedar Rapids with failure to maintain a reasonably satisfactory standard of competency in the practice of dentistry and with indiscriminately or promiscuously prescribing or administering drugs.
None of the underlying allegations that gave rise to those charges has been made public by the board. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Aug. 21, 2025.
In December 2011, the board charged Safabakhsh with gross malpractice and issued an emergency restricting his practice, alleging that he had used a cutting or grinding device on multiple patients to “excessively” separate patients’ teeth to facilitate his placement of orthodontic bands in the patients’ mouths.
“Due to this, these teeth were severely and irreversibly damaged and will require restoration,” the board alleged.
The emergency order barred Safabakhsh from continuing to engage in orthodontics for new patients, citing an “immediate danger to the public health, safety and welfare.” In January 2012, Safabakhsh consented to an order permanently restricting him from using a cutting or grinding device to separate patients’ teeth for placement of orthodontic bands. He also agreed to a $7,500 fine.
Six months later, in July 2012, Safabakhsh was subjected to another emergency order from the board. This time, the board’s order immediately suspended his license to practice dentistry of any kind.
At that time, the board alleged it had received a complaint from multiple employees at Safabakhsh’s dental office regarding a patient who had a medical emergency after being administered 16 cartridges of a local anesthetic and had to be transported to a hospital by ambulance. A board consultant alleged that 16 cartridges of Carbocaine anesthetic was three times the manufacturer-specified maximum dosage — although Safabakhsh’s staff allegedly said patients were regularly administered between 10 to 16 cartridges.
The board alleged that after the incident, Safabakhsh’s staff was told in writing that an ambulance was not to be called by anyone unless requested by a doctor or patient. Safabakhsh was also accused of performing substandard work related to a root canal on one patient and a tooth restoration on another patient.
A board consultant also concluded that on multiple occasions, Safabakhsh billed for services that were not performed or not documented in patient records.
The board eventually fined Safabakhsh $10,000. In August 2014, after Safabakhsh underwent remedial training, the board reinstated his license subject to several conditions and an indefinite period of probation.
In April 2022, the board reinstated Safabakhsh’s license free and clear of any restrictions and terminated his probation.
It’s not clear when the alleged actions that led to the current charges of incompetence occurred, although state records suggest the board’s investigation of those matters was initiated in 2022 — the same year the board removed all restrictions from his license.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Safabakhsh for comment.
