Providence woman charged with unlicensed practice of dentistry
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence woman has been charged in Providence County Superior Court for practicing dentistry without a license following an investigation into the post-procedure hospitalization of a 36-year-old female patient.
On May 10, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged Altagracia Adames (age 57), by way of criminal information, with one count of practicing dentistry without a license.
As alleged in the criminal information, November 28, 2022, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) contacted the Rhode Island State Police (RISP) with information about a victim who received unlicensed dental work by the defendant, which resulted in an oral infection and required emergency hospitalization. The victim provided text messages between herself and the defendant that corroborated the victim’s account of events.
As alleged, the defendant removed the victim’s molar and stitched the wound, and also drilled several other teeth. Later, the victim experienced intense pain and swelling from an infection, and eventually required hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics.
During the morning of December 20, 2022, RISP troopers and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agents executed a search warrant for a house on Murray Street which was known as the location of the defendant’s illegal dentistry operation. As alleged in the criminal information, investigators discovered a waiting room, a treatment room with a chair and lights, and other miscellaneous equipment indicative of dental practice. As further alleged, investigators also found an additional room containing teeth moldings, a propane pressure cooker, and industrial equipment.
The defendant is scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference on August 10, 2023 in Providence County Superior Court.
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