Self-styled ‘denturist’ in Manchester struck off by GDC
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- Published: Tuesday, 08 May 2018 07:38
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The owner of a cosmetic dental clinic called The Smile Centre has struck off for "deplorable" conduct. He has previously amassed four criminal convictions for illegal dentistry, the GDC said in its judgement. Barrie Semp ‘dishonestly’ claimed he ran ‘the most advanced denture clinic in all of Manchester’, they said.
Mr Semp has been slammed by the GDC, which found he had made ‘false and misleading claims’ about being a ‘specialist denturist’. That specialism doesn’t exist, they said. The GDC said Semp failed to provide good care; kept inadequate records; and pursued patients for payment even though they weren’t satisfied with the look or fit of their dentures - or the service provided. Semp worked as a clinical dental technician.
Semp lied to officials, claiming one complaining customer appeared happy with her treatment, but changed her mind when her children said they didn’t like the dentures, the GDC said. The woman didn’t have children. He quoted one customer, who had a phobia of dentists, £17,000 for work and started a course of treatment before a dentist had approved it.
The GDC also revealed that Semp has four criminal convictions for illegal dentistry, following offences between 1997 and 2006, but was allowed to register with the body in 2007. Within a year, he was warned to ‘work within’ his ‘competence’ as a clinical dental technician. He received a second warning about his conduct in 2012 after concerns were raised about his advertising and communication skills - and that he was working without prescriptions from dentists. But he was allowed to continue to practice.
The GDC’s professional conduct committee has now erased his name from its dental care professionals register after upholding complaints from five patients. In its final judgement, the GDC ruled Semp’s failures represented ‘serious breaches’. They said: “This was important, expensive and advanced treatment for five patients who trusted your skill, competence and integrity as a dental professional.
“They were paying you thousands of pounds for treatment. Your promotional literature included false and misleading claims of you being a specialist and of your clinic being ‘the most advanced denture clinic in all of Manchester’, the latter claim having been made dishonestly by you. Your conduct fell far below that which would reasonably be expected of a dental professional. Other members of the profession would clearly regard your conduct as deplorable.”
According to the Manchester Evening News Semp does not feature on The Smile Centre’s website. Companies House records show the firm is in administration and that a Barrie Lee Semp, 51, resigned as a director on March 26.The last available annual return, from 2015, showed Semp owned half the company’s shares.
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