Newcastle Dentist's License Suspended for Molestation, Drug Charges

A Newcastle dentist has had his license suspended for 10 years after he was accused of molesting a teenage female patient and prescribing drugs to patients without keeping treatment records. 

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission charged dentist Gil Furman with unprofessional conduct in June and immediately suspended his license, the state Department of Health said in a news release Friday.

According to documents from the Department of Health, in November 2010, a girl accused Furman of molesting her from the time she was 13 until she was 15 years old.

The dentist was convicted of two counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes in King County Superior Court in September 2011.

Furman allegedly prescribed both narcotic and nonnarcotic drugs to the girl’s mother, brother and to the girl between 2009 and 2010, but failed to keep treatment records for them, the department said.

Furman also allegedly prescribed at least 450 hydrocodone pills to a patient for non-dental use between November 2011 and March of this year.

Furman did not respond to the charges, so the suspension concludes the legal proceedings. Based on the commission’s decision, Furman cannot practice in Washington or seek reinstatement of his license for 10 years.