Action urged over rogue dentists

Laws must be introduced to prevent landlords and developers from renting "fitted out" rooms to rogue dentists, some of whom are performing flawed procedures before moving on to avoid facing the consequences.

The call was made by a dental complaints watchdog after it warned that the number of cases involving the incidents was small, but growing, leaving some patients in debt and with “little comeback” legally.

Speaking at the launch of its annual report for 2013, officials at the Dental Complaints Resolution Service stressed that most Irish-based dentists are operating to a high standard of care.

However, Michael Kilcoyne, the service’s facilitator as well as the vice-chairman of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland, said there is a growing trend of others who are putting the public at potential medical and financial risk.

With a total of 130 complaints by patients against dentists last year, Mr Kilcoyne said a handful involved landlords, developers, or companies which “hire out a room for six months” to dentists who, in many cases, “disappear” after a few months to work elsewhere in Ireland or abroad.

While they are meant to be registered with the Dental Council of Ireland, the fact that current legislation allows anyone to “fit out premises” for dental work means those who are not registered here may not be “picked up” before concerns are raised.

Even after issues arise, Mr Kilcoyne said the dentist involved has often already left the location.

This makes it difficult for patients to obtain their records, track down the individual, or receive compensation, as the landlord involved bears no legal responsibility for the work the dentist performed.

“There certainly needs to be tighter regulation of these kinds of businesses,” said Mr Kilcoyne.

“They need to be liable in some way if the practising dentist carries out work of a substandard nature and then vacates the premises.

“In these circumstances, the patient has very little comeback.”

Established two years ago, the resolution service operates as a voluntary alternative for people who may otherwise feel the need to take a dentist to court but may not be able to afford the legal costs.

In 2013, the independent group dealt with more than 1,200 initial emails and 262 phonecalls, resulting in 130 formal complaints. Resolutions usually involved a fees refund, an apology, or retreatment at no extra cost.

However, in some cases the incidents led to significant payouts, with the highest reaching €40,000.

Among the most common problems to come before the service are the standard of work involved, the failure to explain treatment costs, issues with continuing care, and a dentist’s failure to address a patient’s pain.