Opinion ID: 2631046
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Conduct falling within the definition of the practice of dentistry

Text: ¶ 18 The professional liability provision states that Fireman's will defend any claim brought against the insured even if the allegations of the claim are groundless, false or fraudulent. NSW at 000080. It defines dental services as all services which are performed in the practice of the dentistry profession as defined in the business and professional codes of the state where you are licensed. NSW at 000102. RCW 18.32.020 defines the practice of dentistry and states: A person practices dentistry, within the meaning of this chapter, who (1) represents himself as being able to diagnose, treat, remove stains and concretions from teeth, operate or prescribe for any disease, pain, injury, deficiency, deformity, or physical condition of the human teeth, alveolar process, gums, or jaw, or (2) offers or undertakes by any means or methods to diagnose, treat, remove stains or concretions from teeth, operate or prescribe for any disease, pain, injury, deficiency, deformity, or physical condition of the same, or take impressions of the teeth or jaw, or (3) owns, maintains or operates an office for the practice of dentistry, or (4) engages in any of the practices included in the curricula of recognized and approved dental schools or colleges, or (5) professes to the public by any method to furnish, supply, construct, reproduce, or repair any prosthetic denture, bridge, appliance, or other structure to be worn in the human mouth. ¶ 19 Woo argues that the Court of Appeals erred in concluding the insertion of boar tusk flippers in Alberts' mouth did not constitute the practice of dentistry as defined in RCW 18.32.020. He claims the joke was intertwined with employee and patient relationships, areas of Woo's ownership and operation of the dental office. Suppl. Br. of Pet'r Woo at 5. Fireman's responds that the allegations in Alberts' complaint unambiguously establish that Woo's practical joke was not connected to treating Alberts' condition. It asserts the boar tusk flippers were not intended to replace Alberts' teeththey were intended only as a practical joke. Fireman's also asserts that insertion of the boar tusk flippers was not covered under the professional liability provision because Woo interrupted his rendering of dental services. Resp'ts' Answer to Br. of Amicus Curiae Washington State Trial Lawyers Association Foundation (WSTLA Foundation) at 5. ¶ 20 The Court of Appeals based its conclusion that Fireman's had no duty to defend Woo under the professional liability provision on two flawed premises. First, it concluded, [n]o reasonable person could believe that a dentist would diagnose or treat a dental problem by placing boar tusks in the mouth while the patient was under anesthesia in order to take pictures with which to ridicule the patient. Woo, 128 Wash.App. at 103, 114 P.3d 681. As we note in footnote 5, supra, what a reasonable patient would believe a dentist would do is irrelevant to our determination of whether Fireman's had a duty to defend under the professional liability provision. Rather, the rule requires us to determine whether the complaint alleged facts that were conceivably covered under the insurance policy. ¶ 21 Second, the Court of Appeals erred in concluding Fireman's had no duty to defend Woo under the professional liability provision because Woo's actions could not conceivably be considered a means or method `to diagnose, treat, remove stains and concretions from teeth, operate or prescribe for any disease, pain, injury, deficiency, deformity, or physical condition.' Woo, 128 Wash.App. at 103, 114 P.3d 681 (quoting RCW 18.32.020). The court's definition of what Woo's policy conceivably covers was overly constrained. In addition to covering the rendering of dental services, the professional liability provision covers ownership, maintenance, or operation of an office for the practice of dentistry and Alberts' complaint alleged Woo's practical joke took place while Woo was conducting his dental practice. The insertion of the boar tusk flippers was also intertwined with Woo's dental practice because it involved an interaction with an employee. In fact, that employee interaction was as much a part of his dental practice as the rendering of dental services to his patients. ¶ 22 Moreover, Woo's practical joke did not interrupt the dental surgery procedure, as Fireman's argues. After administering anesthesia and preparing Alberts for surgery, Woo inserted the boar tusk flippers, took photographs, removed the boar tusk flippers, and inserted another set of flippers. The acts that comprised the practical joke were integrated into and inseparable from the overall procedure. ¶ 23 In sum, Alberts' complaint alleges that Woo inserted a flipper, albeit oddly shaped, during a dental surgery procedure while he was operating an office for the practice of dentistry. The rule for determining whether an insurer has a duty to defend only requires the complaint to allege facts that could impose liability on the insurer. Truck Ins., 147 Wash.2d at 760, 58 P.3d 276. Because RCW 18.32.020 defines the practice of dentistry so broadly, the fact that his acts occurred during the operation of a dental practice conceivably brought his actions within the professional liability provision of his insurance policy. ¶ 24 We conclude that Fireman's had a duty to defend under Woo's professional liability provision because the insertion of boar tusk flippers in Alberts' mouth conceivably fell within the policy's broad definition of the practice of dentistry.