Parents Allege Oklahoma Smiles Performing Unnecessary Dental Procedures on Children

By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Hundreds of parents have joined a class action lawsuit against Oklahoma Smiles for allegedly performing unnecessary dental procedures on their children.

Oklahoma Smiles of south Oklahoma City and Small Smiles of Tulsa are both named in this lawsuit filed in Oklahoma County. The southwest Oklahoma City dental clinic serves families on Medicaid. The claim said Oklahoma Smiles is performing unnecessary procedures to get more Medicaid reimbursement money.

Lorena Hernandez said her 3-year-old daughter had nine teeth capped without her permission.

"They just capped them and I thought they were right. They lied. She didn't need it," said Hernandez. "You never think a kid dentist would do something to harm your kid. You trust them."

A Google search of Oklahoma Smiles turned up a page of complaints with parents warning other parents of their child's experience. Some parents claim they were bullied into having the work done.

"People have been threatened that if they don't send their children to that dentist, they don't authorize services, they will lose Medicaid for their kids," said attorney Michael Brooks Jimenez.

Brooks Jimenez represents plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Oklahoma Smiles. He has talked to former employees who accuse the dentists of Medicare fraud.

"This company created incentives that compensate dentists for the amount they could bill Medicaid," Brooks Jimenez said.

The owner of the office would not comment about practices, but FORBA, the company that manages Oklahoma Smiles and Small Smiles, sent NEWS 9 a response.

"While we do not comment on pending litigation, we take any patient concern seriously and remain committed to providing high quality dental services to the children who rely on the dental center for their care."

A video from inside a FORBA managed dentist office showed a young child strapped to the chair, parents nowhere in sight.

Hernandez fears her child went through the same thing. She wasn't allowed to be with her daughter during the procedure.

"I trusted that they were doing their job and they knew what they were doing and they do this type of work every day," she said.

Hernandez also said her daughter vomited during the procedure, which she was not told. She only learned that after seeing her daughter's medical file.

This wasn't the first time a FORBA managed clinic had come under scrutiny. The federal government investigated several of its clinics across the country for Medicaid fraud. The company has recently agreed to pay the federal and state governments $24 million.