DT News - UK - Man fined £11,500 for providing illegal tooth whitening and training

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 2 February 2015

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NEWPORT, UK: The UK regulator of dental practice, the General Dental Council (GDC), has prosecuted an illegal tooth-whitening training provider for the first time. The sole director of Smile Like the Stars Training was found guilty of two offences of tooth whitening. The prosecution followed complaints by two people who were given training to be able to offer their own tooth-whitening services.

Tooth whitening constitutes the practice of dentistry and can legally only be carried out by individuals who are regulated by the GDC, specifically dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and clinical dental technicians working to a dentist’s prescription. The director, who has never been registered with the GDC, was found guilty of unlawfully practising dentistry in relation to the tooth whitening he performed on two individuals while purporting to train them as tooth whiteners. Both offences took place in March 2014 at a hotel in Wales.

The complainants booked the training at a cost of £1,595 with Smile Like the Stars Training through the director’s website for his Teeth Whitening Training School. The complainants were falsely told that the training would result in a qualification that would legally allow them to provide tooth-whitening treatments. This was incorrect, as the complainants were not registered dental professionals. The director provided the complainants with false and misleading documents about the legality of tooth whitening and methods to avoid prosecution. He was fined £4,000 for each of the offences and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge and £1,595 in compensation. He was also ordered to pay full costs to the GDC of £1,776.88. The total amount was £11,491.88.

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