For counsel
Dental anesthesia expert witness.
Amir Rad, M.D. is a board-certified physician anesthesiologist whose practice is devoted to anesthesia in the dental office — the same environment, equipment, and staffing conditions at issue in the cases he reviews. He has delivered more than 2,000 documented cases of general anesthesia and sedation in dental settings, and serves by state appointment as a General Anesthesia Evaluator for the Dental Board of California, inspecting the permit holders who do the same work.
Engagements are accepted from plaintiff and defense counsel, and from dental service organizations and carriers for pre-litigation review. Dr. Rad is based in Beverly Hills and is available nationwide.
- 2,000+dental office anesthesia cases
- ABADiplomate, American Board of Anesthesiology
- MGA 390general anesthesia permit, pediatric endorsement
- State appointmentGeneral Anesthesia Evaluator, Dental Board of California
Areas of analysis
Dental and oral surgery anesthesia matters reviewed
Dr. Rad reviews matters involving general anesthesia, deep sedation, and moderate sedation administered in dental and oral surgery settings. Analysis addresses the pre-operative evaluation and patient selection, the anesthetic plan, monitoring and its documentation, airway management, recognition and management of adverse events, recovery, and discharge.
-
Ultimate provider liability
The anesthesia permit is held by the anesthesiologist, who bears ultimate responsibility for confirming that the facility meets minimum safety standards. Dr. Rad evaluates whether mandated equipment — suction, airway tools, monitors — was verified present and functional before induction.
-
The dental office as an isolated setting
A dental office operates without the institutional support of an ambulatory surgery center: no code team, no in-house pharmacy, no second anesthesiologist down the corridor. Dr. Rad identifies deviations where providers accustomed to institutional support failed to account for the shift in operational liability that the office setting imposes.
-
Pre-operative evaluation
In the dental office the anesthesia provider is independently responsible for the entire pre-anesthetic clearance process. Dr. Rad identifies where pre-operative protocols failed, and where that failure led to mismanagement of high-risk comorbidities.
-
Pre-induction emergency checks
Verification of emergency equipment is a non-delegable duty. Record review establishes whether the functionality and expiration status of required emergency medications and supplies were confirmed before the case began.
-
Caleb’s Law and staffing
California’s requirements under Caleb’s Law (SB 501) govern continuous monitoring, pediatric safety standards, and auxiliary staffing. Dr. Rad analyzes compliance against the specific requirements applicable to the matter.
-
Clinical audits and risk mitigation
For multi-location dental service organizations and private practices, Dr. Rad conducts clinical audits that identify areas of exposure and bring protocols into line with current safety standards.
Dr. Rad also reviews facility readiness and staffing, permit and regulatory compliance under California requirements, controlled substance handling and documentation, and the adequacy of emergency preparation and training.
Matters involving pediatric sedation, including questions arising under California’s requirements for pediatric dental anesthesia, are within the scope of his review.
The governing documents
The standards a dental anesthesia case is measured against
Opinions in this field are measured against a defined set of documents. Dr. Rad works from the ADA Guidelines for the Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia by Dentists; the pediatric sedation guidelines issued jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; the California Dental Practice Act together with the permit regulations at Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations; and the ASA Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring.
Guidelines are not statutes, and they are not in themselves the standard of care. They are, however, the documents most often produced when a dental anesthesia case is reviewed, and they carry weight accordingly.
Recent writing on these standards is collected under articles, including a summary of what changed in the 2026 ADA sedation guidelines.
Qualifications
Board certification, permits, and active practice in the setting under review
Dr. Rad is a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology, certified in 2019. He holds an active California medical license, A156434, and general anesthesia permit MGA 390 with pediatric endorsement from the Dental Board of California, and maintains current ACLS, PALS, and BLS certification. He is also licensed in New York.
He completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of Miami, where his training covered cardiac, thoracic, major vascular, trauma, and neurosurgical anesthesia, and received the Emanuel M. Papper Award for performance across four years of training.
As founder of Los Angeles Dental Anesthesia, Dr. Rad directs a group of physician anesthesiologists working daily across many dental practices. That vantage gives a view of systemic error and of standard-of-care deviations that a solo practitioner may never encounter.
Because his clinical practice is devoted to the dental office setting, opinions rest on current, first-hand experience of the equipment, staffing, and regulatory conditions in which the conduct at issue occurred. A full record of training, licensure, appointments, and publications appears in the curriculum vitae.
Engagement
Retaining Dr. Rad: conflict check, review, and terms
Send the allegations and the records. Dr. Rad will confirm whether the matter falls within his area of analysis and return a conflict check promptly. Initial contact carries no obligation and no charge.
An initial merits screen precedes any written opinion. Engagements are hourly and secured by retainer. No fee is contingent on the outcome of any matter, and the same rates apply to plaintiff and defense.
Services include record review and case analysis, consulting on strategy, written opinions and declarations, deposition, and testimony at hearing or trial, including proceedings before the Dental Board of California.
A list of matters in which Dr. Rad has testified at trial or by deposition within the preceding four years, in the form contemplated by Rule 26, is available to counsel on request.
For counsel
Questions from counsel.
-
Does Dr. Rad accept both plaintiff and defense retentions?
Yes. Case selection rests on the merits of the record and the absence of conflict, not on the side retaining him. The same rates apply either way.
-
What matters does he take?
Dental anesthesia complications, standard-of-care adherence in outpatient sedation, dental facility compliance, and proceedings before the Dental Board of California. He is also available to dental service organizations and carriers for pre-litigation clinical audits.
-
What is needed to begin?
Party names for a conflict check, a summary of the allegations, and the anesthesia and dental records. An initial merits screen precedes any written opinion.
-
What services are available?
Case review and record analysis, consulting on strategy, written opinions and declarations, deposition, and testimony at hearing or trial.
-
What are the fees?
A current fee schedule and retainer agreement are provided on request. Engagements are hourly and secured by retainer, and no fee is contingent on the outcome.
-
What standards apply to anesthesia in a dental office?
The ADA sedation and general anesthesia guidelines, the joint pediatric sedation guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the California Dental Practice Act and the permit regulations at Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, and the ASA Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring. Which of these governs a given case depends on the patient, the depth of anesthesia, and the jurisdiction.
-
Does Dr. Rad review matters outside California?
Yes. He is licensed in California and New York and accepts engagements nationwide. California permit and staffing requirements are among the more detailed in the country, and analysis is framed against the requirements applicable in the relevant jurisdiction.
Contact
Send the allegations and the records.
Counsel may reach Dr. Rad directly by email or telephone. There is no form on this site. Full contact details are on the contact page.