A court has ordered dentist Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to pay nearly €16,000 in compensation to a former patient after she was left with chronic facial pain and a permanent disability following dentistry procedures in 2009.

Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale ruled that the procedures carried out by the former Nationalist MP, Labour Party candidate and chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology left the patient, Nathalie Bartolo, with chronic pain.

Other dentists who carried out interventions on the woman said they could not reverse the damage that had been caused to the nerves in her jaw.

The court found that the root canal treatments carried out by Pullicino Orlando were too short and had caused an infection in the patient’s jawbone.

Pullicino Orlando first saw Bartolo in March 2009 after two molars had been removed by another dentist, the court heard. The following month, Pullicino Orlando placed what is known as a bridge to close the gap between the patient’s teeth.

In June, the patient returned to Pullicino Orlando complaining of severe pain. The dentist proceeded with a root canal treatment, conducted in three sessions until the end of July.

The pain persisted, even after the bridge was removed in August.

Another dental surgeon, who the patient visited in the same month, had drawn up a report saying that the bridge and root canal had to be redone. The patient was referred to another dentist, Alexander Azzopardi, who carried out the treatment in five sessions.

The pain did not subside, with Azzopardi carrying out a bone biopsy which discovered that the patient was suffering from chronic osteomyelitis, a bone infection that required antibiotics.

Another dentist had diagnosed her with severe neurological pain and the patient then travelled to London where another surgical intervention did not improve her situation because the nerve had already been damaged.

Mr Justice Depasquale ruled that he could not give too much weight to the report carried out by a court-appointed expert, John Portelli, who had not carried out a clinical examination of the patient.

The court was morally convinced that Bartolo’s pain started following Pullicino Orlando’s dental procedure. The court absolved Azzopardi of any responsibility.

A foreign consultant concluded the woman suffered a 25% permanent disability.

The court fixed the compensation due by Pullicino Orlando to his former patient at €15,000, ordering him to also refund costs amounting to €721 she had incurred in payments to various doctors and dentists to treat her ailment.

Lawyer Abigail Critien represented Bartolo while lawyer James D’Agostino appeared for Pullicino Orlando.