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FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 12/28/2017 01:37 PM INDEX NO. 805132/2012
NYSCEF DOC. NO. 361 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/28/2017
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK
EDWARD SCARANO and SUSAN SCARANO, Index No.: 805132/2012
PLAINTIFFS'
Plaintiffs, AMENDED
SECOND RESPONSE TO
DEMAND FOR EXPERT
INFORMATION AS TO
MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY
SERVICES, L.L.C. and GEORGE
ANASTOSSOV, D.D.S.
-against-
MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY SERVICES, L.L.C.
and GEORGE ANASTRASSOV, M.D., D.D.S.,
Defendants.
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Plaintiffs, EDWARD SCARANO and SUSAN SCARANO, by their undersigned attorneys,
hereby provide expert witness information, pursuant to CPLR 3101(d), in the following:
L Qualifications of Expert: This expert obtained a Bachelor's degree from Provident
College in 1987 and a DMD at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 1991. This expert
completed a four-year residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Texas in
Houston Texas in 1999. He/she served as a staff Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Winn Army
Community Hospital, Fort Stewart Georgia. As of 2002, he/she is a Diplomate of the American Board of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgeons. In 2003, he/she became Board Certified in Dental Anesthesia and General Anesthesia
/Deep Sedation for the State of Rhode Island. This expert is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery at Alpert Medical School, Brown University.
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IL Subject matter on which expert is to testify: This expert will offer opinions
at trial as to his/her review of the medical, dental, and hospital records and reports and
diagnostic studies of plaintiff, photographs of plaintiff, pleadings, discovery responses,
deposition transcripts, motion papers and will base his/her testimony upon the foregoing as well
as his/her knowledge, expertise and experience in the fields of dentistry and oral and
maxillofacial surgery. It isanticipated at trialthat this expert will offer opinions relating to the
defendants'
departures from accepted standards of dental and oral surgical care and treatment
and that said departures were a substantial factor in causing serious injuries to EDWARD
SCARANO.
IIL Substance of the facts and opinions on which this expert is expected to
testify:
This expert is expected to offer opinions at trial as to the care and treatment of plaintiff by
defendants, and more particularly, by defendants MAXILLOFACIAL ORAL SURGERY SERVICES, L.L.C.
and GEORGE ANASTOSSOV, D.D.S. (collectively referred to as "Anastossov") in that defendant Anastosso
departed from good and accepted dental and oral surgical procedures in the following, thereby proximately
causing permanent injuries sustained by the plaintiff, as set forth in the bills of particulars and the hospital,
medical, and dental records and reports; in failing to properly assess the plaintiff's condition such as failing to
take or order adequate and proper diagnostic studies and tests to determine the nature and condition of
plaintiff's mouth, facial structure, gums, prior medical/dental condition and lifestyle prior to and during
treatment, past medical and dental history; failed to consider risks of failure, infections, and other risks; in
failing to perform an appropriate and adequate pre-treatment evaluation from all reasonable perspectives with
other dental and medical practitioners in a team approach; failed to maintain adequate records; failed to
recognize that EDWARD SCARANO was not a candidate for this type of extensive full mouth restoration aft(
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having the remaining 15 teeth in his mouth removed and after having undergone a prior attempt at a full moutl
restoration, which had substantially failed and based on other risk factors regarding EDWARD SCARANO;
failed to consider and discuss, with the plaintiff, the percentage of risk of failure in attempting to perform such
extensive surgeries and in attempting to replace virtually all of the plaintiff's dentistry in a very short time
period; in failing to consider all reasonable ramifications regarding the patient's malocclusion of approximatel
12-14 mm, history of bruxism, clenching, past history of smoking, past history of poor dental hygiene, past
history of failed implants, past history of infections, and failure to have a full team approach and complete
treatment plan with periodontists, prosthodontists, and other dental specialists; failed to consider the two prior
failed attempts and disregarded the unsuccessful outcomes by subjecting the plaintiff to three additional risky,
invasive, and extensive surgeries whereby mesh, plates, and screws were placed, and then removed and
replaced; disregarded improperly placed implants on a patient with a Class III occlusion and engaged in
invasive, and expensive surgeries with no reasonable assurance that the patient's mouth could be reasonably
restored prior to addressing the malocclusion and its inherent stresses including bruxism, grinding and
clenching and the patient's prior lifestyle and habits; failed to consider the risk of failure and failed to discuss
the aforesaid risks of failure with the plaintiff; failed to adequately communicate with plaintiff's other
providers; failed to properly consider the diagnostic findings during all phases of treatment, and failed to
consider the risks to this particular patient of failure of treatment; provided inadequate dental and oral surgical
care; failed to properly plan a full mouth restoration on this patient with a known malocclusion of 12-14 mm;
failed to take and use adequate pre- and post-operative diagnostic surgical computer
x-rays, studies, guides,
generated guides, and other available and state of the art diagnostic tools for such a difficult and challenging
case; failed to consider the risks associated with these extensive and invasive surgical procedures on a patient
with significant bone loss, poor dental hygiene, malocclusion, and other risk factors; failed to treat plaintiff in
skillful and proper manner; failed to properly formulate an appropriate treatment plan; failed to properly
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execute an appropriate treatment plan; failed to consult with competent specialists such as orthodontists,
prosthodontists, the plaintiff's primary medical physician, an infectious disease doctor, and plaintiff's prior
treating dentists, oral surgeons, and other specialists of adequate skill, experience and training to participate in
the treatment planning and treatment of the plaintiff; failed to have skills appropriate for an oral surgeon in
treating plaintiff; failed to use reasonable skill, care, and diligence in the exercise of professional knowledge t(
accomplish the purpose for which defendants were retained; failed to take any and all effective measures or
means to prevent further harm and injury to the plaintiff; failed to properly plan and administer treatment to th
plaintiff; failed to take proper and reasonable precautions for the safety and health of the plaintiff and failed to
treat and prepare for his condition; failed to take, record, and appreciate the plaintiff's history and prior failed
dental treatment; failed to order or take proper and comprehensive diagnostic studies such as x-rays and CT
scans; failed to call in proper consultants; failed to keep proper records; failed to read and respond to
defendants'
own records; failed to obtain, read and respond to records of other dental and healthcare providers
failed to ensure that the prescribed treatments were properly and adequately administered; failed to fully and
fairly disclose to the plaintiff the nature of treatment to be rendered to plaintiff; failed to consult with prior ora
surgeons and dentists, who treated the plaintiff; failed to disclose alternatives to treatment rendered; failed to
disclose alternative treatment of the dental problems; failed to disclose all reasonable risks of the procedures;
failed to properly appreciate plaintiff's complaints, which were overlooked during the course of treatment;
failed to properly assess the risks of the procedures and more particularly, regarding the plaintiff's prior medic
history, conditions, and prior dental and oral surgical treatment; failed to heed the plaintiff's requests not to tal
heroic measures and to remove but not replace the infected mesh, plates, and screws; failed to appropriately
treat the plaintiff, and more particularly, as set forth above and in failing to evaluate properly the plaintiff's
existing occlusion, facial structure, occlusal status, and the plaintiff's particular dental and medical needs;
performed dental and oral surgical procedures on plaintiff in a manner contrary to accepted standards of denta
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and/or oral surgical practice and further, performed dental procedures on plaintiff which were not indicated, bi
rather, were contra-indicated; caused massive bone loss, infections, and further, rendered the plaintiff's mouth
virtually unrestorable; performed procedures which were contra-indicated as to this patient; failed to take
adequate, timely and proper measurements and precautions necessary and calculated to avoid the occurrence
and conditions complained of herein; failed to perform proper restorations such that the plaintiff has no teeth
and has bone loss, gum atrophy, Class IIIocclusion, and was caused to suffer infections including
osteomyelitis; caused failure of all dental and oral surgical procedures, which further resulted in significant
bone loss, holes in the sinuses, infections with resultant difficulty eating and drinking; failed to ensure that
plaintiff would have any chewing efficiency; performed aggressive and costly dental procedures on a patient
when this defendant knew or should have known that such procedures were doomed to fail; caused and/or
created infections, bone loss, and gum atrophy throughout plaintiff's mouth; failed to perform dental procedur
in a slow and and/or moderate manner considering the risks of the procedures to the plaintiff; failed to heed
plaintiff's complaints and symptoms in a timely manner; failed to provide proper post-surgical treatment; faile
to timely refer plaintiff to a proper dental specialists; failed to follow-up with other treating practitioners; faile
to consider all reasonable risks and to take allreasonable steps to prevent those risks including but not limited
bone failure, implant failure, nerve injury, infection, and the loss of the hope of having a full mouth restoratio1
allof which resulted in causing plaintiff's injuries, which are permanent in nature.
This expert will also testify that the above-stated departures were all substantial factors in causing the
injuries as set forth in the Verified Bill of Particulars and as set forth in the dental records, medical records,
hospital records, x-rays, and reports.
It isalso expected that this expert will discuss, possibly using demonstrative devices, the
principles of x-ray and physical examination; the principles of bone grafting, craniotomy, iliac crest
grafting, implant placement surgery and the planning process therefor, as well as defining all terms
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needed for an understanding of the issues at hand; the anatomic and functional considerations in
planning for and doing such surgeries; the concepts of anatomy, the sinuses and sinus liftsas they relate
herein; the permanence of plaintiff's injuries; the obligations of dentists with regard to the standard of
care; the concepts of bone grafting from the skull and iliac crest, risks of infection, osteomyelitis, sinus
fistulas, and failure, osseointegration and protection of the bone, nerve structures, and branches. This
expert is also expected to comment on facts, testimony, records in evidence, and subsequent treatment
and surgery, providing explanations of same. This expert is also expected to address issues raised at the
trial prior to his/her testimony. This expert will explain past and anticipated treatments.
IV. Summary of the grounds for this expert's opinion:
dental/specialists'
This expert relies upon the dental records, medical records, and
reports, dental x-rays, pleadings in this action, deposition transcripts, this expert's professional
experience and expertise, as well as the trial testimony of the various witnesses. Plaintiff may also call
as trial witnesses any of his treating dentists and physicians, whose records have been provided to
defense counsel, directly and/or through authorizations. Same are expected to testify in conformity with
those records and diagnostic studies, explain the treatment, discuss how the treatment was causally
related to the negligence, and discuss the injury permanence, as well as all other entries in the records.
One or more of these treating and/or consulting dentists/doctors/therapists will testify regarding
his/her examinations and treatment of the plaintiff, his/her findings, his/her care and treatment rendered
to the plaintiff, issues of causation, diagnoses, prognoses, and the past and future costs incurred by
plaintiff for the dental, medical, and therapeutic services provided as well as the anticipated necessary
medical, dental, and therapeutic treatment to be done in the future and reasonably anticipated costs of
same as a result of the care and treatment of Anastossov, and the extent of the injuries Anastossov
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substantially caused plaintiff. Plaintiffs reserve the right to supplement this response up to and including
the time of trial.
Dated: New City, New York
December 28, 2017
Yours, etc.
VALERIE J. CROWN,
ATTORNEY AT LAW, P.C.
By:
VALERI . CROWN, ESQ.
Attorney r Plaintiffs
151 North Main Street, 4th Floor
New City, NY 10956
845-708-5900
TO: RAWLE & HENDERSON, LLP
Attorneys for Defendants
GEORGE ANASTRASSOV, MD, DDS &
Maxillofacial Surgery Services, LLC
170 Old Road - Suite 502
Country
Mineola, New York 11501
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