LONDON, UK: The General Dental Council (GDC) has strongly advised dental professionals in the UK not to buy products from sources that are not compliant with existing standards and regulations. The warning comes after a dentist from North West England was suspended recently for repeatedly having bought counterfeit dental handpieces online.
According to the UK regulator, the 32-year- old purchased risky equipment on an Internet auction website at least three times. It was seized earlier this year during inspections by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) at his practice in Preston in Lancashire. After his hearing in July, he will not be able to practise dentistry for three months, the GDC said.
“This case shows the importance of dentists and dental care professionals adhering to the standards around compliant dental equipment,” Jonathan Green, GDC Director of Fitness to Practise, commented. “Non-compliant equipment endangers the health of both the patient and those using it and it is vital that all items meet safety requirements.”
“As set out in our Standards for Dental Professionals, all members of the dental team must understand and follow the law and regulations in this important area, which go to the heart of patient protection. They must always put patients’ interests first,” he added.
According to MHRA, which regulates all medical devices in the UK, over 10,000 individual pieces of non-complaint or counterfeit dental equipment are seized in dental practices per year. To counter the worrying trend, the agency has been running an awareness campaign in partnership with the British Dental Industry Association since 2014.
“Dental patients are entitled to expect quality care, including the standard of the instruments and devices used by dental professionals. It is vital that dentists and dental staff buy equipment from bona fide suppliers and avoid non-compliant or counterfeit devices. I urge all dental professionals to be cautious of seemingly cheap devices which may be unfit for purpose and potentially dangerous to patients and the staff that use them,” Head of Enforcement at MHRA, Alastair Jeffrey, said.
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