Pierce County dentist’s license suspended by WA commission. Here’s what inspection found

A Pierce County dentist had his license and general anesthesia permit suspended Monday by a state dental commission. Department of Health records show it isn’t the first time he has faced penalties.

The state’s Dental Quality Assurance Commission alleges the dentist, Walter Foto, was missing emergency drugs in two inspections and had an inadequately trained anesthesia monitor. It also accused him of failing to provide documentation showing that sterilizers for dental tools were tested at least weekly using biological spore testing, according to a news release.

Foto operates in Bonney Lake at the Myers Road Oral Care Center.

A person who answered the phone at the practice Tuesday said the doctor had no comment on the allegations. According to the release, Foto cannot practice in the state until the charges are resolved. He has 20 days to respond to the charges and ask for a hearing, the DOH said.

The last time Foto faced disciplinary action by the board was in 2011 when the commission slapped him with a $10,000 fine and ordered him to complete 29 hours of continuing education, including 22 hours in the area of dental ethics and conduct.

According to healthcare provider records, the penalties came after the commission found that his work as an oral surgeon with three patients between 2006 and 2009 did not meet the state’s standard of care.

State license records say Foto’s dental license was issued in 1998. He received his anesthesia permit in 2001. According to his practice’s website, Foto earned his doctorate in dental medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. He attended a residency program at the University of Washington and has studied at Harborview Medical Center, among other hospitals.

Foto’s suspension came after an unannounced inspection performed by a DOH investigator in October 2021 found “numerous” missing emergency drugs and no defibrillators in his supply. According to a document related to the suspension, Foto indicated his office had been burglarized and that he was working to replace the items. When the investigator returned in December, Foto still had not replaced them, records say.

During the October inspection, the investigator also found that Foto only had one other licensed staff member, a dental assistant. According to the document, employee records showed that person did not have adequate training to be an anesthesia monitor. Foto had treated at least 10 general anesthesia patients with the dental assistant.