It’s unfortunate when a prescription drug designed to help a medical condition has side efffects so severe they cause other serious medical conditions. Such is the case, allegedly, with Merck & Co.’s widely used drug for osteoporosis: Fosamax. Many claim Fosamax causes damage to the jaw (specifically, osteonecrosis of the jaw). In fact, Merck is currently embroiled in lawsuits that involve nearly 900 cases of osteonecrosis caused by Fosamax.

File this under the “practically unbelievable” category. In 2006 a young woman in her 20s went to the Sexton Dental Clinic in Florence, South Carolina, a clinic established in the 1920s to serve the uninsured and underinsured. She was supposed to have 3 teeth removed, but instead the dentist took out all 16 of her upper teeth. That’s right, he removed all of her top teeth. The patient sued the clinic for dental malpractice and also claimed the clinic tried to cover up the mistake.

It’s always discouraging to learn that an everyday product can be harmful to your health. A number of lawsuits now indicate that long-term use of denture creams can cause serious medical problems, including the buildup of zinc in one’s system and neurological issues.

It took some time for doctors to recognize that neurological problems in their patients were caused by denture cream use. Those named in the lawsuits include GlaxoSmithKline PLC, maker of PoliGrip, and Procter & Gamble Co., maker of Fixodent. The companies claim their products passed safety standards and are not harmful to users. They also state that zinc is commonly used as an additive or supplement. Procter & Gamble says the amount of zinc a user of Fixodent ingests per day is the same amount found in about six ounces of beef.

From previous postings you may know our client won his jury trial against Willamette Dental for damage to his lingual nerve from a wisdom tooth extraction. The trial was in Portland, Oregon in June 2006. Willamette Dental was insured by Fortress Insurance and appealed the jury verdict. The case was argued before the Oregon Court of Appeals by Maureen Leonard for our client and we prevailed. The insurance company tried to get our client to settle for less than 1/3 the verdict and then less than 1/2 the verdict (not including the 9% interest that was running on the judgment). Insurance companies try to wear down clients. Fortunately, believing in the jury and the court system, our client stood up to the insurance company and didn’t blink. Last Thursday, July 31, 2008, over two years after the verdict, our client received a check from the insurance company for the full amount of the jury verdict plus interest.

Who could imagine that dental care could be hazardous enough to cause death? Though uncommon, apparently there have been enough patient deaths resulting from dental care to prompt the state of Washington’s Health Secretary to ask the state’s dental board, known as the Washington Dental Quality Assurance Commission, to launch an investigation.

The Seattle P-I newspaper first published a story on July 15, 2008, that investigated three patient deaths. The article asserted that the dental board’s investigations of these deaths were inadequate.