Fake Dentists Out of Control
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- Published: Friday, 25 August 2023 10:13
- Written by Peter Ingle
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GDPUK has reported from time to time on fake dentists, most recently the case of a one man band caught operating from a hotel room in the USA. But this pales into insignificance with the scale of the problems now being reported much closer to UK borders.
According to The Times, Belgium is facing an influx of dentists with either unsatisfactory training, or even fake diplomas. While the number of Belgians entering the profession is restricted by training quotas, forty four per cent of those starting to work there now have a foreign diploma.
All dentists must appear before a “recognition committee” but there are claims that the regulator is unable to stop those with poor language skills or questionable qualifications. According to Frank Herrebout, Chairman of the Flemish Dentists Union: “When they appear before the recognition committee they cannot answer the simplest questions.” EU rules ensuring mobility of professionals allow “equivalence” of European qualifications. “We are at our wits end. We know of private schools in Romania where you can get your diploma for a fee,” Mr Herrebout said. The Belgian regulators, he says, are helpless to act against these fake Romanian diplomas.
Many of the dentists in question are from North Africa and have been lured with the promise of an easily acquired diploma, which will then give them the right to practice within the EU. The largest group of foreign qualified dentists at nine percent, are Tunisians, often with diplomas from Romania, which allow them to practice without restriction.
Belgium is a sought after destination as it has a strong social security system. Frederik Ardenois of the Association of Flemish Dentists says that the EU rules discriminate against Belgian dentists who must train for longer and to higher standards.
The Federal Institute for Health and Disability Insurance has said that illegal dentistry poses a threat to public health and finances too, as a result of fraudulent claims.
MP Freida Gijbels, who is also a dentist, has identified foreign dentists treating more patients than are allowed under safety and quality rules. “It is humanly impossible to treat so many patients” she said.
In the UK, the GDC is gearing up to get more overseas graduates onto the UK register and overhaul the bottle neck at the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE)
Back in Belgium Mr Ardenois concluded: “We will have too many dentists due to this influx from abroad.” If that is the case, the NHS would certainly welcome some of them here. Indeed, getting more overseas trained dentists working in the UK, may be one of the more deliverable parts of the Governments recovery plan for NHS dentistry.
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