ILLEGAL DENTISTRY ON CHANNEL 4!. BY LARRY BROWNE, EDITOR Leave a comment

I am sure some of you must have seen the programme on Channel 4 regarding the gentleman who is making tooth jewellery directly to the patient.  He takes the impression, makes the models and takes them to jewellery manufacturers in Hatton Garden and has them made. Charging from £600 up to £6000. He has apparently been doing it for at least three years and tells the viewers he is making a fortune. It is clearly illegal. Is he registered? Is he trained? He is clearly not a dentist. I suspect he is not a technician!!

The mainly young clientele queue up his stairs and across his landing, to have him take the impressions.

I have not seen the programme but there is a link to Youtube if you wish to take a look:

Brings a whole new meaning to ignoring the legislation designed to protect the patient.

This is a very clear example of how the legislation is not working, and yet we still see nothing being done by the GDC or the MHRA with regard to illegal activity.  Dentists doing restorations without registering with the MHRA. Indeed, there appears to be no attempt by the registration watch dog, THE GDC, to ensure training of undergraduates, or indeed post graduate dentists, is undertaken. My own enquiries into this area have met with a blank wall of silence. It is clear from the numbers of unregistered Dentists and DSA’s that nothing is being taught about this essential awareness of the LAW. There does not seem to be any training of clinical support staff about the regulations.

Hospitals have claimed exemption when the case for exemption is nothing like the original European directive on which it is based. The whole administration of the act of Parliament is, to say the least, non-existent.

We have seen many examples of Technicians reported for illegal dentistry. And quite a number appear to have been found guilty and heavily fined or closed down. But not one report of a single one of their dentist clients has been seen. It is, after all, illegal to deal with an unregistered laboratory or technician. The dentist will of course know this as they will not have been receiving the STATEMENT OF MANUFACTURE! The patients’ proof of the validity of the restoration source and material. Only legally issued by a registered manufacturer. Can this mean the dentists are immune from prosecution? That would of course be a nonsense as they are the prime contact with the patient. So, what on earth is going on? The representative bodies of the technician groups, the DLA the DTA, The OTA and a few other, representatives of interested parties, have earlier this year met together to decide on a strategy to tackle the problem. Beginning with a strategy of education. As with all committee-based organisations, things can move exceedingly slowly.

Can any of you readers who belong to these organisations and perhaps some of the other representative bodies please text, phone or email the committees or its members and let them know this is important to you.  You are paying to be registered, you are abiding by the rules and regulations and yet the people taking your money appear not to be interested in you. After all, “your only a Dental Technician.”  Nothing will be done if we do not make a noise. Up to now nothing has been done, except, target dental technicians doing illegal dentistry. Well if the gentleman on channel four can make a fortune, as he claims to have done, without training or skill, why not the rest of us?  We at least know how to do it safely!

So do not just accept the situation. They have obviously decided to ignore those of us who want the matter aired and it would seem as if the representative organisations are trying not to get involved?  Because it might look like rocking the boat?  I think unless you “rock the boat” they will choose to ignore the matter. I believe it is too important to ignore.

If you care about the future of Dental Technology in Britain and Ireland, I think it is the time to say so.