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Unregistered Dentists Threaten Health of Patients

Announcement posted by 1300 Great Smile 20 Aug 2015

Dentist in Joondalup reveals why it can be dangerous to visit an unregistered dentist at a “home office.”
Perth, WA, 20 August 2015 - Recent events in the news have one dentist in Joondalup warning patients to make sure their dentist is registered. That dentist, Dr Roy Sarmidi of 1300 GREAT SMILE, addressed a recent case of an unregistered dentist in Victoria on his company’s blog. According to Dr Sarmidi: “It is important for the public to know how big of a risk they are taking if they have work done by a dentist who isn’t registered with the Government in a facility that isn’t registered with the Government.”

The dentist in question practised in the Melbourne suburb of Meadow Heights in a neighbourhood called Rockland Rise. His office was in his residence, which Dr Sarmidi feels should have represented a big “red flag” to his patients. Eventually, a neighbour tipped off the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), who sent police to the illegal dentist’s home office.

The unregistered dentist, who studied in Turkey but never got a licence to practise in Australia, had his equipment confiscated. He would be charged with four crimes: using a protected title, pretending to be a dentist, possession of schedule 4 drugs and performing restricted dental acts. Since he was never actually registered, nor took part in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, he can’t be disciplined by the Dental Board of Australia.

The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is calling upon anyone who was treated by this unregistered dentist to come forward and submit to an examination by a registered dentist. The DHHS fears that patients may have contracted a blood borne illness from the unregistered dentist or that the dentist may have botched some of the procedures he performed, causing possible disfigurement.

According to Dr Sarmidi, the patients are lucky if they emerged unscathed: “I hope this unregistered dentist didn’t harm any of his patients. It is incredibly risky to see an unregistered dentist in a home office. There are three main risk factors: disfigurement due to incompetence, blood borne illness due to incompetence and outside infections such as staph due to a lack of proper sanitation and sterilisation.”

Dr Sarmidi continued: “It really doesn’t take that long to make sure your dentist is registered. Most of us proudly display our licence in our office. If you don’t see a licence, it doesn’t take long to call the AHPRA to verify that a dentist is registered. However, one of the most reliable ways to know your dentist is registered is that they practise in a professional office.”

Dr Sarmidi concluded: “I can’t speak for every dentist in Joondalup, but most of us are highly educated and qualified. We went to school and learned what we needed to learn to get our licences. We followed through on everything asked of us. We dedicate our lives to providing high quality care in a safe, sanitary, medical environment. That is why it’s so important to make sure your dentist is registered.”

1300 Great Smile is a popular choice among those looking for a dentist in Joondalup. They offer pain free dentistry, emergency dentistry and a full complement of other dental services from two locations in the Perth area. To learn more, call 1300 GREAT SMILE or visit their website: http://www.1300greatsmile.com.au/.