The Grass May Not Be Greener?
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- Published: Tuesday, 05 April 2022 10:01
- Written by Peter Ingle
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Dentists working in the UK, particularly those staring down the barrel of their March 31st NHS targets, may feel that things are better for the profession in other countries.
Before packing their cases, some international stories from the last few days, might make them decide to stay put. The themes are familiar to those of us in the UK, unregistered practice, the trials of information governance, and prescribing controlled drugs.
Unregistered practice.
This is a UK perennial whether it is nail technicians doing whitening in shopping centres, or orthodontic providers who thrive without the bother of CQC registration. Spare a thought then for the Indonesian public. Al Jazeera reported on the widespread use of ‘unlicensed dental workers’ who are popular with those on lower incomes. Illustrated with a picture of a wireless light cure wielding, but ungloved, ‘tukang gigi’ (unqualified dental worker) at work, the story is told of a young woman, Wulandari, in search of a better smile. She describes a small and dingy room in Jakarta with no obvious sterilisation facilities and a gloveless and maskless operator. “It was very fast. He only asked me what colours I wanted and then immediately went for my teeth” Wulandari said. Where a qualified dentist in a clinic might have charged the equivalent of $348, Wulandari paid just $14. She was not happy with her treatment and regretted having it.
Most of the tukang gigi are self- taught and have no formal qualifications. Their trade is legal, and even has some official regulation, where they are restricted to making and fitting dentures. Increasing demand for cosmetic work has encouraged a wider range of treatments. These are often provided by unlicensed practitioners such as Julia. A former beauty salon owner, she now provides veneers and braces. She says that she has had training for this, held in a beauty academy, “it was a full-on eight-hour course.”
Data protection.
Practice mangers still reeling from completing the latest data protection and security toolkit, should spare a thought for a group of 72 practices in Texas. As reported by Info Security, the Jefferson Dental and Orthodontics group have suffered a breach that may have impacted over a million Texans. Occurring in August last year the malware incident, now reported to the Texas Attorney Generals Office, is the largest since recent legal changes came into effect. Data involved may have included, social security numbers, dates of birth, drivers licence details, health insurance information, clinical details, and financial information. An investigation continues.
Law breaking dentists.
WMAR Baltimore reported on a story that would get top billing in any British tabloid. The 48 year old dentist, an oral surgeon in Montgomery County had already started a relationship with a 25 year old patient in 2020 when things got a lot more dangerous. His girlfriend asked him for drugs including Propofol and Ketamine, as well as Benzodiazepines. It is even alleged that he provided her with instructions on how to increase their potency. Tragically, she died at the dentist’s home from an alleged overdose in January 2022. Following an investigation the dentist was arrested this month, refused bail, and now faces second degree murder charges.
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