Dentists issue warnings about pop-up consultations in hotels

A dentist says he is "deeply concerned" by illegal dental tourism pop-up consultations in Northern Irish hotels, which are not properly registered.

Paul Brennan, chair of the Northern Ireland branch of the British Dental Association (BDA), said patients' mouths were often examined at these events, which constitutes the "practice of dentistry".

The BDA has warned that when dentistry occurs and the hotels and dentists are not registered with their regulators, it can amount to "illegal practice".

The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF) said it had shared the BDA's guidance with its members.

Anyone practising dentistry in the UK must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and any venue in which it occurs must be registered with Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).

RQIA said it had received intelligence about 21 "unregistered entities" that have organised consultation events since October 2023.

It said "where concerns have arisen regarding the provision or promotion of dental tourism treatments in Northern Ireland", cease and desist letters had been sent to "the overseas dental practice involved" rather than the venue hosting the event.

Two upcoming events in Belfast have been cancelled either by the overseas provider or the hotel, following enquiries by BBC News NI.

Brennan said an "increasing" number of events at which the rules were not being followed were occurring, mainly in Londonderry and Belfast.

He said hoteliers were often "not aware" that "what's happening in their hotels actually constitutes dentistry" and is therefore illegal.

"We had a positive engagement with the Hotels Federation," he said.

"They're interested in protecting their members. They obviously don't want illegal activity to be occurring in their members' hotels."

Leonardo Hotel in Belfast, which has cancelled one of its upcoming events, said the booking had "initially met our requirements based on the information provided".

"Following further assessment and consideration, we have decided to cancel. Our team ensures that meeting spaces are only used for their intended purpose," it added.

Cancellation 'not an admission' of unlawfulness

One overseas provider, Smiles Turkey, said it had cancelled a separate event in Belfast after "concerns were expressed about its legality".

It said there had been a "misunderstanding" and it had intended to provide "a non-clinical commercial and information event".

"Our sales representatives were not going to conduct physical or intra-oral examinations of patients' mouths, teeth or gums. Cancellation should not be interpreted as an admission that the event was unlawful," it added.

The Ramada Hotel, where the pop-up was to take place, was approached for comment.

However, the BDA says pop-up consultations often go "beyond merely the marketing of overseas dental services".

Brennan, who is a dentist in Strabane, said he had attended one such event and had his teeth examined.

"Once you examine a patient's mouth, that's dentistry," he explained.

"You don't have to do anything on them apart from an examination. Someone looking in your mouth and telling you, I think you need x, y and z, is dentistry."

He also said many of the dentists doing the examinations were often "coming from abroad" and were not registered in the UK.

"They may be registered in their own countries, but they're often not registered here, so they're actually carrying out dentistry illegally", Brennan explained.

The BDA also said more patients in Northern Ireland were presenting with "serious dental complications" after having received dental treatment overseas.

"This has typically followed an initial dental consultation advertised and held in a Northern Ireland venue."

The BDA also said the regulatory regime in Northern Ireland was "falling short" because of RQIA's "inability to regulate certain premises where the practice of dentistry is being carried out".

The Department of Health said RQIA might gather intelligence regarding dental pop-up clinics but it does not have legislative powers to prosecute. These powers rest with the General Dental Council.

A spokesperson said RQIA may "write to the organiser to advise them that holding a dental consultation in Northern Ireland may be considered to be the provision of private dental care and treatment.

"The organiser is advised that such services are required under the legislation to register with RQIA, and that providing them, without being registered with RQIA, is an offence," they added.

The GDC said it had also "sent out cease and desist letters to a number of companies in Northern Ireland" and had written to "a number of hotels to make them aware of their responsibilities under the law".

It added that this is "a precautionary step, not enforcement action, and doesn't suggest any wrongdoing on the part of the venues themselves".

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