JAKARTA, Indonesia: Hundreds of dental workers took to the streets on Wednesday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta to protest against government regulations that will prohibit them from performing dental treatment on patients. The law, which aims to prevent an increase in the number of unlicensed dentists, was enacted last year and took effect in April.

While Indonesia has tens of thousands of trained dentists and dental technicians, there are many denture makers too (known as tukang gigi), who offer dental procedures, including extractions and orthodontic treatment, without the proper training and for lower prices. Compared with treatment by a regular dentist, the costs for dental procedures provided by a tukang gigi are usually four to five times lower.

Owing to an increasing number of underprivileged people seeking care from tukang gigi in recent years, the government recently established a law to prevent them from performing treatment on patients.

Dental technician associations in the country have repeatedly criticised the new regulations, which they fear could put many dental workers out of business and reduce the opportunities for middle- and lower-income patients to receive treatment at all.

“There are free dental treatment events organised by the government or by private institutions but they cannot be available all the time,” said Tania Mirella from cipta d.lab in Surabaya. “So when low-income people have problems with their teeth, they usually opt for a tukang gigi instead of a dentist, without knowing about the risks.”

Mirella said that while the new legislation is necessary to protect people from the hazards of unlicensed dentistry, the government should do more in the future to provide dental care to people with lower income.

According to figures from the Indonesian Dental Technicians’ Association, there are approximately 75,000 dental technicians in Indonesia. The country has a shortage of 4,000 dentists, with the greatest need in poor rural areas.