Botched cosmetic dental procedures carried out by unlicensed providers are causing serious and irreversible oral damage, the Barbados Dental Association and Barbados Dental Council have warned.
The two bodies were responding to a Ministry of Health warning of an alarming rise in illegal and fraudulent dental operations across the island.
Dental association president Dr Ramon Harvey said authorities and dentists have been tracking four to five known illicit operations “over the last few years”, with the possibility of several more, advertising cosmetic dental procedures on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
People without formal clinical qualifications or professional licences are performing complex dental work, often from beauty parlours, nail salons or makeshift settings, he said.
He said: “We as a body and as health providers, the Dental Association, as well as the Barbados Dental Council, have been very concerned over the last few years with the emergence of fraudulent dental practices.
“Essentially, there are people who are not licensed, not trained, not qualified dentists who are arriving in Barbados or are already in Barbados and have taken some level of inappropriate course training. They have taken it upon themselves to do dental procedures that they are not licensed to do. This is tantamount to someone pretending to be a doctor and performing surgeries.”
The illegal practices are increasing and pose serious health risks to members of the public drawn in by low prices or misleading marketing. “They are here illegally, they are doing illegal things, and they are hurting people. So we really need to get ahead of it so that it doesn’t spread, because it is spreading, and a lot of it is getting out of hand.”
Dr Harvey noted that more patients were frequently turning up at legitimate dental clinics with severe, irreversible oral damage directly resulting from substandard care.
Illegal orthodontic procedures and unregulated cosmetic applications, including DIY braces and improperly applied chemicals, are among the main causes of patient injury, he said.
The dental association president warned that improperly fitted braces and excessive or uncalibrated force on teeth could result in serious long-term complications.
“The main consequences we are seeing are devitalised teeth, as in the nerves have been damaged from being moved inappropriately, and the teeth become non-vital where they have to be treated endodontically—root canal—or extracted, so you can lose your tooth.
“We are seeing inflamed gums, bleeding, damaged teeth, infections, and pain. Orthodontics is a postgraduate degree after dental school…. Doing it without any training is really unethical and criminal, and you are changing the facial structure of these patients.”
The advisory urged people to exercise extreme caution and ensure that any dental treatment is provided strictly by a practitioner who is appropriately qualified, registered and licensed to practice dentistry in Barbados.
The ministry said: “Persons who are not authorised to practise dentistry should not be providing dental treatment, including procedures such as tooth preparation, veneers, crowns, orthodontic treatment, extractions or other procedures that involve the teeth or oral tissue.”
Receiving care from unaccredited individuals carries grave risks, the statement added.
Addressing why people may seek unlicensed providers, Dr Harvey acknowledged the high cost of dental care in Barbados, which he attributes to high duties and prices on imported clinical supplies, among other constraints many business owners face in Barbados. But he warned that choosing a cheaper option could result in far greater medical and financial costs later.
Dr Harvey pledged dental association members to assess or stabilise the illegal dental work free of charge for those in dire need. Any further patient-specific corrective care or long-term restorative treatment, however, would be priced according to the intervention required.
Where damage has been done, the association is inviting affected patients to visit its offices for professional consultations to assess the extent of the harm and determine safe remedial steps.
The Dental Association and the Dental Council are working with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and law enforcement agencies to gather evidence and pursue legal action to prosecute offenders and shut down illegal operations, said Dr Harvey.
He called for stronger and more proactive action against the businesses, noting that they operated without business registration, avoided taxes and failed to meet basic sanitary and clinical standards.
“We are not certain that instruments are being cleaned properly,” he said. “We are not sure that the areas where these procedures are being performed are appropriate for having a medical dental procedure done.”
Harvey outlined warning signs for people considering dental services advertised on social media. Under the Dental Act, registered and licensed dentists are prohibited from advertising promotional sales, discounted package deals or flash offers.
“If it is too good to be true, it is probably too good to be true,” Dr Harvey said. “The Dental Act of Barbados prohibits registered doctors from advertising prices and deals. So if it’s ‘get this for $500 off’, that is not a registered dentist…. If it’s a salon, nail tech, beautician, or parlour, but not a dental office, those are beauticians or technicians trying to add on to their armamentarium and trying to do teeth. They are not supposed to do teeth.”
The association advised people seeking to verify a dental practitioner’s credentials, or report suspicious practices, to consult the official registry maintained by the Barbados Dental Council by email, inspect the membership listings in the Barbados Yellow Pages, or contact the Barbados Dental Association directly before undergoing treatment.
(RR)
The post Dental bodies warn of irreversible damage from bogus cosmetic treatments appeared first on Barbados Today.
