PETALING JAYA: Maximum penalties under the law should be imposed on fake dentists who are arrested by the authorities, says Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners Association council member Dr P. Mahendran.
He said the current maximum fines under the Dental Act 2018 (Act 804) should always be imposed regardless of case circumstance.
“Fake dentists are able to make a lot of money easily through massively overcharging their unsuspecting clients while using cheap unapproved products in their operations.
“This enables them to easily pay off fines when they are caught and just try again more cautiously, making it harder to catch them again in the future.
“These convicted fake dentists should always be dealt the maximum fine of RM300,000 with six years’ imprisonment in order to send a clear and compelling message to the public that illegal dentistry will not be tolerated,” he told The Star.
Dr Mahendran added that a cross-ministerial collaborative effort between the Health Ministry and other ministries would be ideal at tackling illegal dentistry.
“Some of the major anchors of the illegal dentistry industry right now are the ease of acquiring fake unapproved dentist products as well as the ease of promoting and advertising their illegal services online.
“MOH needs to work with the police and Customs Department on stopping the shipment and sale of these fake unlicensed dentist products both within the country and from abroad, like how it is done with illegal drugs.
“The Communications And Digital Ministry should also play a role in taking down posts that promote or advertise fake dentistry as well as videos on how to do self-taught dentistry at home across social media,” he said.
Malaysian Dental Association president Dr Lim Chiew Wooi said education as well as improving accessibility to affordable legal dentist services would be an effective pre-emptive measures in stamping out illegal dentistry.
“The danger and possible permanent harm that fake dentistry inflicts upon our health needs to be instilled constantly into the public so that they are not easily swayed by the fake promises of illegal dentists.
“Our students and children in particular must be taught from young either through school curriculum or parental guidance to make wiser and more informed decisions on their dental health.
“Providing incentives such as tax relief or subsidies for legal dental treatment may also encourage more people to seek dental treatment from qualified registered dental surgeons instead of taking the risk with unlicensed fake dentists,” he said.
