Prominent dentist stripped of licence

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This article was published 07/10/2009 (5814 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – A Winnipeg dentist who was a department head at the University of Manitoba’s dental school has lost his licence to practise after he was found guilty of mistreating special-needs patients over a 15-year period.

An inquiry panel of the Manitoba Dental Association found Dr. Ronald Boyar — who was also an administrator with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority — guilty of 105 instances of professional misconduct between 1991 and 2006.

"These were disturbing incidents," said Dr. Marcel Van Woensel, registrar of the Manitoba Dental Association, which regulates the dentistry profession in the province. "The penalty imposed on him was the harshest that we could."

In addition to losing his licence to practise, which prevents him from working as a dentist anywhere in Canada, the MDA fined Boyar $10,000 and ordered him to pay $17,765 to cover the MDA’s costs for the investigation and hearing.

The province has also initiated legal action to recover funds it paid to Boyar.

Boyar was the medical director of oral health for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the medical leader of a teaching clinic at Health Sciences Centre, where he also operated as a fee-for-service dentist. The clinic’s patients are mostly special-needs, including physically and mentally disabled individuals, and heart and cancer patients.

Van Woensel said that because of their physical conditions, the individuals could only be treated while under anesthetic in a hospital setting.

Woensel said the investigation found Boyar did not perform any dentistry while these people were under anesthesia and simply sent them on their way after they came to.

The inquiry panel investigated two charges against Boyar: The first involved 98 instances of professional misconduct between 1991 and 2006 for billing for work that was never performed; and the second charge involved seven instances of professional misconduct between 1993 and 2005 for failing to provide treatment. Boyar was found guilty on both counts involving each of the 105 instances.

The MDA inquiry panel, in a published statement, cited Boyar’s "deliberate and lengthy" misconduct as factors to be considered when imposing a penalty, and concluded: "The vulnerable population and circumstances involved make (the) conduct particularly reprehensible."

Woensel said the investigation found that Boyar was billing Manitoba Family Services and Housing and third-party insurers for the dental work he never performed.

Boyar did not attend the MDA hearing. He resigned from his teaching position at the U of M in the fall of 2006. Boyar’s local phone number is no longer in service and he could not be reached for comment.

Woensel said it’s not known where Boyar is living now, although he has legal counsel from Ontario.

Woensel said the misconduct came to light after another dentist complained to the WRHA.

Brock Wright, the WRHA senior vice-president of critical care, said its investigation found that the misconduct involved the repeated treatments of about 40 patients, adding the over-billing amounted to several thousand dollars.

Wright said the WRHA began its investigation of Boyar in November 2005, adding Boyar stopped his clinical practice and his administrative duties then. Boyar was terminated in May 2006.

Wright said the WRHA forwarded its findings to the MDA, all involved third-party insurers and the Winnipeg Police Service.

All the patients on whom Boyar worked were contacted, Wright said, and offered re-assessment.

"This was reprehensible behaviour," said Wright.

A Manitoba Family Services and Housing spokesman said Boyar owed the province a little more than $5,000. The department filed a complaint with the Winnipeg police commercial crime unit and in August 2007 began civil proceedings against Boyar to recover the funds. The province also asked Boyar for repayment but none has been provided, the spokesman said.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca