Posted: 06/12/2013
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Former West Palm Beach children's dentist Thomas Floyd has pleaded guilty to charges that he abused a 4-year-old boy he was treating in his office. Floyd was arrested last September by the West Palm Beach Police Department.
Floyd has agreed to relinquish his dentist license in Florida and will not practice dentistry anywhere in the United States. The agreement calls for 150 hours of community service. The state also agreed not to pursue additional charges against Floyd from any other known victims from his former dental practice.
The case was investigated by the Department of Health which indicated that were numerous incidents of child abuse over the past two years.
According to the investigation released by the Department of Health, “Floyd’s behavioral control methods with his patients fall well below acceptable standards of practice in treating pediatric patients.”
A patient claimed Floyd punched a 4-year-old boy during a routine dental procedure. The child suffered swelling, abrasions, and bruises on his lips, according to West Palm Beach police.
A witness stated after the boy bit the doctor, Floyd used a drill and the palm of his hand to force a dental instrument into the child’s mouth, causing the injuries.
The Health Department received an anonymous complaint stating Floyd abused children in his office “by putting his hand over their mouths and calling them names.”
On another occasion, Floyd reportedly prevented a child from screaming by stuffing a dental bib into the child’s mouth, the Health Department report stated.
