SUVA, Fiji: Locals and visitors to the Fiji islands have been warned by the country’s consumer council to be aware of fake dentists or those practising without a proper licence after several cases of dental malpractice were reported throughout the island state in which patients were left with pain or lost their teeth owing to unprofessional treatment.

The Ministry of Health also released information this week about a Chinese couple who had been operating an illegal dental surgery for years in their home near the capital Suva. According to the Department of Immigration, they are currently being investigated and could face deportation owing to breach of the Immigration Act, despite the woman being a dental officer in her home country.

Prior to this, a woman from Canada had one of her front teeth extracted by an employee of a dental clinic who did not have a licence to practise dentistry but had posed as a dentist.

“The council is urging the public to be mindful of such unscrupulous dentists and run background checks on them before seeking their services,” the council advised in a press release. “People must ask the name of the dentist who is to perform the procedures on them and also ask to see his or her registration certificate.”

Dental professionals wishing to practise in the Fiji islands have to register with the Fiji Medical and Dental Council. In recent years, however, an increasing number of dentists have not renewed their annual licence, a circumstance that forced the regulatory body to run a widespread public campaign recently and threaten unwilling practitioners with disciplinary action. According to the council, they were also informed of a number of cases of dental graduates being employed by dental clinics and practices without them first being registered.

Fiji currently has slightly over 100 dentists, most of whom work for the government. Costs for dental treatment have increased in recent years owing to expensive imports of dental equipment, according to the Fiji Dental Association, which makes the cost of regular treatment prohibitively high for most patients.

The results of the last oral-health survey conducted in 2004 indicate that caries prevalence among all age groups in the country is high. Statistics from a new campaign launched in 2011 are expected to be released later this year.