Dentist sued after patient has post-surgery stroke

PARKERSBURG -– A Jackson County man is alleging a trip to the dentist later led to one to the hospital.

Arthur Winter filed a medical malpractice suit against Dr. T. Dean Bobbitt, and Oral Surgery Associates in Wood Circuit Court. In his complaint filed on Aug. 13, Winter, 53, a Sandyville resident, alleges two weeks following oral surgery, he suffered a stroke.

According to the suit, Bobbitt, who operates OSA with Dr. B. Noorbakhsh in both Marietta, Ohio and Parkersburg, extracted 25 of Winter's teeth on Aug. 7, 2008. The reason for the extraction is not stated.

At a date and time not specified in court records, Winter alleges he suffered a "shower of strokes" following the extraction. Eventually, he suffered a major stroke on Aug. 22, 2008.

The series of strokes, Winter alleges, were a result of Bobbitt's failure to "properly screen [Winter], given [his] age, medical history and size, to determine if [he] was an appropriate candidate for the procedure." Also, Bobbitt "failed to recognize the obvious signs of stroke which Mr. Winter displayed immediately following the extraction of his teeth and permitted Mr. Winter to leave his office without further medical intervention."

The strokes, Winter alleges, have affected his ability to talk. Furthermore, he alleges, in addition to incurring "significant medical expenses, he's suffered "pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish and embarrassment" as a result of the strokes

Winter seeks unspecified damages, interest, court costs and attorney fees. He is represented by Brent K. Kesner and Sara A. Jones with the Charleston law firm of Kesner, Kesner and Bramble, and Kevin C. Harris and Eric J. Holmes with the Ripley law firm of Harris and Holmes.

The case is assigned to Judge Jeffrey B. Reed.

Wood Circuit Court case number 10-C-357