In the clinic, students work under licensed hygienists, and the work of both the student and the hygienist must be approved by a licensed dentist.

But Dr. Peter Paris said that while he was supervising the clinic from August 2009 through this March, he observed at least 40 cases of staff violating the law, 6News' Rafael Sanchez reported.

He said the violations included hygienists diagnosing patients and approving what he called inappropriate and potentially harmful treatments for patients, even though they do not have dentistry licenses.

IU School of Dentistry Dean Dr. John Williams said the school has launched an internal review of its policies in the clinic, but said he is confident his staff did nothing wrong.

"The Board of Dentistry does provide for a provision of education. We are an educational institution. We are a training institution," he said. "We are vested with the responsibility and authority to provide education within the context of appropriate patient supervision."

Paris said he reported his concerns with the clinic to his supervisor, Dr. John Vanchit, in March, and was reassigned to work in a different area.

A week later, Paris said he was told his contract, which expired June 30, would not be renewed.

Williams said Paris knew his contract would expire at the end of June, and that it was not in retaliation for raising concerns about the clinic.

IU School of Dentistry officials said the facility sees 100,000 patients a year, including 25,000 at the dental clinic and 7,000 at the dental hygiene clinic.

"If there are any irregularities, we will take immediate action to correct these," Williams said. "We've had no patient complaints. We feel we are in the spirit of the law for the Indiana Board of Dentistry."

Williams said he believes the review will be complete by early next month.