The Tribune

By DR SPARKMAN FERGUSON

THE job of the Bahamas Dental Council and the Bahamas Medical Council is to regulate the practices of their respective professions. The councils are also mandated to protect the health of the public. This is particularly evident whenever there is the risk of a disease threat. At those times, the Chief Medical Officer – or a designate – would address the public in an effort to educate and protect the public’s health.

A new concern is evolving in the Bahamas in the area of dentistry. This concern is a serious public health risk. Persons without any professional dental training have deceived some of the public by offering “teeth whitening” through social media advertising. Others are inviting the public into health spas, beauty parlours, hairdresser shops, or in the kitchen of their homes for a fee.

This is legally called “practicing dentistry without a licence”.

Such practices are happening more in Freeport than anywhere else in the country. These individuals offering the service are untrained, unauthorised, unregulated and unlicensed to perform the service. The worst thing of all is that they can cause you personal injury.

The public is advised to avoid these persons, as there is no recourse through the Dental Council if you are injured while in the care of these individuals.

Who practices dentistry?

The only legal dental services in the Bahamas are through private dental offices or government ran dental clinics. These are the only places where the public can confidently find qualified and board certified dental professionals, including dental hygienists.

All other places are illegal and the public is advised to avoid them.

There are other establishments where dental ‘grills’, tongue piercings and “shove-on” gold pieces are done. Although some of these places may have a business licence, none of them are authorised to offer dental services to the public. Additionally, these are not facilities where dental steam sterilisation is practiced which creates yet another health hazard.

Conclusions – The public is encouraged to lend a hand in helping to protecting itself. Residents are asked to be more vigilant in selecting where they seek services. All legal dental facilities have three mandatory licences which are required to be displayed by law. These are a business licence, a hospital and healthcare facilities licence, and the dental licence of the dental professionals who practice in the particular facility. A good start would be to start looking for and demanding to view these licences if you don’t see them in a facility. If they cannot be produced, you are advised to seek services elsewhere for your own safety.