RECENTLY, there was a media report to the effect that the Dental Council had issued a warning to the public that “quacks” had been advertising on social media the provision of dental braces services at knocked-down prices.  The providers of such orthodontic treatment are not legally registered dentists; therefore, it is a risk to be treated by such persons.  These persons are infringing the law and it is hoped the police would act.

Fifty or sixty years ago, there were far more quack dentists in practice than there are today, and police prosecutions were fairly common.  At that time, there were fewer qualified dentists in practice than there are today, which opened the door to quacks.  Further, in the interior and remote areas where there were no dentists in practice, sick nurses/dispensers were permitted to practise as dentists within certain limited areas.  These persons received some training at the Georgetown Public Hospital.  However, if they attempted to practise outside of those specified areas and in Georgetown, they were rightly classified as quacks and subject to police prosecution.  Many of these persons, however, established themselves in Georgetown.

A number of these quacks equipped themselves with dentists’ chairs, had much of the normal dental equipment, and performed basic procedures such as extractions, fillings and making dentures.
The most fashionable procedure in those times, among both men and women, was capping the teeth with gold, and some quacks earned the reputation of producing the best “gold teeth”.

Though a few of these quacks may have performed basic procedures with some level of competency due to their exposure in the surgeries of qualified dentists, they were all deficient in the deeper knowledge of dentistry. When they were faced with such difficulties as continuous bleeding after an extraction or gum ailments or pains in various areas of the mouth, or when a patient required surgery, they experimented, and the patient invariably had to seek the help of qualified dentists for corrective tr eatment.  Further, these quacks never had modern tools, and they rarely ever properly sterilised the equipment they used.

The main reason patients used quacks was that they could not afford the high fees charged by dentists. In the remote areas where some patients lived, there were no practising dentists and patients were compelled to seek available first aid.

Today, there are many more dentists in practice, training facilities are easily available for those who may desire to qualify, and the public is more aware of the risks to health if they use quacks.  Accordingly, traditional quacks have almost disappeared, and the rarity of police prosecutions evidences this.

The Dental Council has warned of a form of quack practice which has comparatively recently appeared – the provision of braces at fees much lower than those of registered dental surgeons.  Such quack services are risky and could result in impairment for which qualified dentists would have to administer corrective treatment. In its statement, the Dental Council indicated: “These braces are also being advertised for fashion purposes . . . it’s somewhat of a trend globally where people want to have braces because it looks cool and very much a status thing, but there is no such thing as fashion braces.  Braces are an orthodontic treatment done to correct dental and medical issues…”

The Dental Council enjoins patients to use qualified and registered dental practitioners and has issued a list of Dentists, Dentexes and Dental Technicians, which can be accessed at https://officialgazette.gov.gy/.
This problem could be fundamentally addressed by the Dental Council and practitioners issuing a reasonably priced and affordable schedule of charges for various procedures;  the police warning or prosecuting unqualified/unregistered persons who advertise the provision of dental services;  and the Dental Council and the Ministry of Health mounting a comprehensive programme of dental education for the public.