Judge awards nearly $9.5 million to patients of former Kansas City area dentist
A Jackson County judge has awarded nearly $9.5 million to 20 former patients who sued former Kansas City-area dentist Brian Jenkins for medical malpractice, according to court records.
The patients filed the lawsuits in Jackson County Circuit Court against Jenkins and his dental practice, Brian H. Jenkins DDS, LLC, which did business as Wright Dentures and Implants in Independence.
In their suits, they claimed that he caused permanent damage and disfigurement after dental procedures. The lawsuits were consolidated into one case. Jenkins, however, failed to respond to and contest the litigation.
Late last month, Jackson County Judge Cory L. Atkins found Jenkins and his dental practice to be in default for failing to plead, answer or defend against the lawsuits. Atkins awarded $473,445 to each patient.
Jenkins could not be reached for comment on Friday.
Wright Dentures and Implants abruptly closed in the spring of 2024. Jenkins also filed for reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in May 2024, and his filing was converted to a bankruptcy liquidation in September 2024. He listed his assets as $1.1 million and debts of nearly $3.4 million.
The Missouri Dental Board revoked his dental license in November 2024, after it found that he had violated a jointly agreed-upon 2022 disciplinary order that placed him on probation for three years, following complaints from patients about substandard care.
The lawsuits involved dental extractions, some of which were full extractions, and/or the placement of implants that caused pain and were ill-fitting, according to court documents.
Atkins determined that the patients visited Jenkins’ practice several times to address complaints of pain and ill-fitting prosthetics, but Jenkins and his practice failed to appropriately treat them.
Atkins found that Jenkins failed to meet the profession’s standard of care by performing procedures beyond his qualifications, failing to properly evaluate bone structure prior to implant placement, neglecting to refer plaintiffs to appropriate specialists, and failing to obtain informed consent for the scope and risks of the procedure.
Atkins also found that Jenkins and his practice misrepresented their qualifications and standard of care.
Atkins found that as a result of Jenkins and his practice’s negligence and misrepresentations, his former patients suffered past and ongoing physical pain associated with improperly placed implants, permanent disfigurement and disability due to bone loss, mental anguish and emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, including the ability to eat and speak comfortably, and medical expenses for corrective surgery and follow-up treatment.
