Eric Scott Browning Indiana Complaint
MUNCIE — A Muncie dentist’s license to practice is in jeopardy after his conviction on drug charges in Kentucky.
Eric Scott Browning, 610 S. Tillotson Ave., who also maintained a dental practice in Lexington, Ky., was indicted on Aug. 4, 2011, in Kentucky federal court on drug charges.
The charges were filed after Browning documented in patients’ charts that he administered 10 mg of Versed, which induces sedation and amnesia before medical procedures, when in fact he administered only 5 mg and administered the other 5 mg to himself during five months in 2010.
This past December, Browning pleaded guilty to the charges, for which he was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $10,000. The terms of probation require him to participate in a substance abuse treatment program and to submit to periodic drug testing.
Browning’s license was suspended by the Kentucky Board of Dentistry in December of 2010 after it determined he had used the restricted drug for personal use, and after he was witnessed practicing or trying to practice dentistry on Nov. 23 of that year in an “intoxicated state and while under the influence of one or more mind altering substances.”
In November 2010, Browning surrendered his U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency registration.
His license to practice remains suspended in Kentucky, where Browning’s actions were deemed to constitute an immediate danger to his patients.
The Indiana attorney general recently filed a complaint seeking sanctions against Browning’s Indiana license, citing the events in Kentucky.
The attorney general alleges Browning’s illegal use of Versed has a direct bearing on his ability to practice competently in Indiana.
Browning did not return a phone call from The Star Press. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, meaning he has achieved the highest level of education in his field. He provides periodontal and dental implant care to patients in East Central Indiana. He earned a degree from dental school and also completed a residency in periodontics.
Contact news reporter Seth Slabaugh at 213-5834.
Written by
Seth Slabaugh
November 2010 – Browning surrendered his DEA license.
December 2010 – KY Board of Dentistry suspended his license.
August 2011 – Indicted on Federal drug charges.
September 2011 – Pled guilty to charges in US District Court – Kentucky Eastern Division. Signed a 5 year contract the the Kentucky Professionals Recovery Network.
December 2011 – Sentenced to 5 years probation and $10k fine. He is subject to random drug screening and not allowed to even have a beer if he so chose.
May 2012- Deputy Indiana Attorney General Darren Covington files a complaint with the Indiana Dental Board.
I was always under the impression that the dental boards took up these issues when dentists has problems in other states and if they found criminal behavior they were the ones who turned it over the to the state Attorney General. This situation seems to be bassakwards.
Kentucky is not quick to pull someone’s dental license so this much have been a pretty darn bad situation.
Here we are nearly August 2012, and Eric Scott Browning, DDS is still licensed and is still able to practice dentistry in IN.
KY Dental license lists address as
Premier Periodontics , 3285 Blazer Pkwy Ste 210, Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 264-1854. Operated as Vance and Browning, DMD, PSC, in 2008. Changed it name to Vance and Shepherd DMDs, MS, PSC in March 2011, with Gregory Shawn Vance and Anna Dean Vance as officers. Armstrong Vance Center is also associated with this address.
His KY license number is 8594, and is listed as “suspended”. However when looking for disciplinary action documents it says, “There are no disciplinary documents for this dentist “
Why not?
In Muncie, Indiana 188 miles from Lexington, KY Browning operates Browning Periodontics.
From the website:
In November 2007, Dr. Browning achieved Board Certification in Periodontics, becoming a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. This is the highest, most exclusive level of certification in periodontology and is achieved by roughly half of the practicing periodontists in the United States. His Master's Degree thesis focused on the use of a particular bone graft to treat periodontal disease. Dr. Browning is also a published author with publications in the Journal of Dental Research and International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry. His articles involve a laboratory study detailing the effect of inflammation on periodontal bone loss and a surgical study employing the use of a bone graft material (Puros) in the treatment of periodontal bone defects around teeth.
When not practicing dentistry, Dr. Browning is enjoying life with his family- ( and a lot of other things!!) wife, Kimberly; daughter, Reagan; and son, Ethan. Dr. Browning is also a competitive rugby player and can be found playing the sport on most Saturdays in the Fall and Spring. He also enjoys reading, studying history, and traveling.
Dr. Browning is a member of numerous organizations including the American Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology, Academy of Osseointegration, American Academy of Implant Dentistry, and International Association of Dental Research.
ARTICLES PUBLISHED:
Evaluation of a mineralized cancellous bone allograft for the treatment of periodontal osseous defects: 6 month surgical reentry. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent 2009 Feb; 29(1): 41-7.
Omega 3 fatty acid effect on alveolar bone loss in rats. J Dent Res 2006 Jul; 85(7): 648-52.