FLAGSTAFF, AZ — State regulators voted Friday to revoke the license of a Flagstaff dentist who used pliers on a patient during surgery.
“This was such a gross lack of judgment in the moment,” said Mary Rossi, a member of the Arizona Board of Dental Examiners.
The board voted 5-2 in favor of revoking Dr. Robert Janisse’s Arizona dental license.
In November, the board suspended his license following a board investigation.
The board’s report claims the dentist had difficulty removing a patient’s implant during a November 2023 dental surgery. The board alleges Dr. Janisse left the room while the patient was sedated to grab non-sterile pliers from a toolbox. He used the pliers to pull the implant out.
The board’s report says the patient had a weakened immune system. Using a non-sterile tool in his mouth, “created the potential transfer of harmful microorganisms that could have resulted in infection or death,” the report said.
The report also alleges there was “no clinical evidence” that removing all the patient’s lower teeth was necessary, according to the board.
“Specifically, the radiographs show the majority of the teeth extracted were restorable and contained long, healthy roots and only mild bone loss,” the report said.
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After reviewing the investigative report, the board voted in late October to take a rarely used action called “summary suspension.” This prevents a dentist from practicing until the board can make a final decision on his license. A notice of the license suspension was posted at Dr. Janisse’s Flagstaff office on November 4.
At that time, the board said its investigation found that the “public health, safety and welfare imperatively requires emergency action” against his license.
Dr. Janisse has fought the suspension, hiring an attorney and asking the board to lift the suspension. He told ABC15 earlier this year that the patient who was the subject of the dental board’s investigation is “very happy with the treatment I gave.”
In that same interview, he said he wanted to return to practice.
“I want to do good for my patients,” he said. “And the only way I can do that is as a dentist.”
During an administrative hearing on his license earlier this year, Dr. Janisse said he had “no idea” why he grabbed the pliers.
“It was a bad choice. I will acknowledge that,” he said.
His attorney, Mandi Karvis, has called his use of the pliers “an unfortunate, isolated incident.”
An administrative law judge who had reviewed the case and listened to testimony recommended 12 months’ probation and mandatory continuing education. But the dental board’s majority disagreed with that recommendation. They voted instead to revoke his Arizona dental license, which he has held since 2012.
Karvis called the board’s action on Friday “completely unreasonable.” She told the board they plan to pursue legal action.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.
