Hawthorne Healthcare: Dental Care Neglect for Cognitively Impaired - CA
Two dentists had already told the facility she needed new dentures. Nobody followed up.
That finding sits at the center of a March 2026 inspection at Hawthorne Healthcare & Wellness Centre, a nursing facility at 11630 South Grevillea Avenue in Hawthorne. Inspectors cited the facility for failing to arrange dental services for Resident 30, a woman whose medical records show diagnoses of dysphagia, cerebral ischemia, and epilepsy. Her cognitive skills for daily decision-making were assessed as severely impaired. She rarely, if ever, made decisions for herself. She needed staff assistance to dress and use the toilet. A February 2026 history and physical noted she did not have the capacity to understand and make decisions.
She was also missing her dentures and struggling to eat.
The dental record trail is straightforward. A dentist examined Resident 30 on September 3, 2025, and recommended she receive dentures. A second dental visit on February 5, 2026, produced the same recommendation. Five months passed between the first recommendation and the second. Another seven weeks passed before inspectors arrived in late March.
The Social Service Director told an inspector on March 25 that he knew about both dental visits. He was not aware, he said, that either appointment had produced a recommendation for dentures. He had not followed up with the dentist. He acknowledged that dentures were important for Resident 30 to chew food properly, and that going without them would cause gum discomfort and pain affecting her quality of life.
The Director of Nursing said the same thing: he had not known about the denture recommendations. He told the inspector it was important to follow up with the dentist regarding the status of Resident 30's dentures for her comfort when eating.
Both administrators confirmed the problem. Neither had caught it on their own.
The Social Service Director's own job description, reviewed by inspectors, required him to communicate care needs to residents, families, and appropriate staff, and to arrange ancillary services determined necessary to meet residents' concrete needs. New dentures, recommended twice by a dentist for a woman who can no longer advocate for herself, would seem to qualify.
Resident 30 could still speak for herself when the inspector visited on March 24. She said she broke her dentures about three to four months ago. She said she was having a hard time eating without them.
The inspection classified the violation at the minimal harm level, meaning inspectors determined no serious injury had yet occurred. That classification does not capture what the months without dentures looked like from Resident 30's side of the meal tray. She has dysphagia, a condition that already makes swallowing difficult. She was working through that with no teeth.
The facility's own oral healthcare policy, dated 2017, states it will provide dental services for preventive care and treatment. The treatment had been recommended. Twice. The follow-through never came.
CMS records identify the facility under provider number 555677. The inspection was completed March 27, 2026.
Resident 30 told the inspector she was having a hard time eating. That was seven months after the first dentist said she needed new dentures, and seven weeks after the second dentist said it again.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Hawthorne Healthcare & Wellness Centre, Lp from 2026-03-27 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 19, 2026 · Our methodology
HAWTHORNE HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS CENTRE, LP in HAWTHORNE, CA was cited for neglect violations during a health inspection on March 27, 2026.
Two dentists had already told the facility she needed new dentures.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.