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Rogue Dentists on the Loose

by Barry Artiste | March 24, 2008 at 03:13 pm

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Opinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

Ah Yes, Rogue Dentists, Like Dinosaurs and UFO's we've heard of them, but never actually seen one. One envisions a Hard drinkin Leather clad Harley drivin Dentist, bridgework in hand and dental drill in the other, complete with a Russ Meyer Buxom Dental Assistant in Stillettos riding in a sidecar chewing gum and harassing the locals to buy cheap dental work, performing forced spot dental inspections on the elderly and grabbing their pension cheques. Sort of a "Combo Rebel without a Clue" Marlon Brando-Steve Martin type on Acid. Ontario is rife with them, perhaps seen Harley riding the blacktop as a vicious gang of hygiene practising cash strapped maurarders, with swarthy good looks, that round shiny mirror thingy atop their heads, belie their hidden Gun and Badge of Dentistry.

Certainly a tragic tale, yet a hilarious world we live in, Rogues usually identified in Movies with CIA Agents, Cops and disgruntled 7-Eleven Clerks. Now we have Dentists!! One can only imagine what a "Rogue Proctologist" would look like!

College has no authority to deal with 'imposters'Province needs to do more to spread word about dangers, dentists' licensing body saysNeco Cockburn,
The Ottawa CitizenPublished: Monday, March 24, 2008
Several hundred "rogue imposters" may be providing dental care in Ontario, according to the regulating body that oversees the province's dentists.

Irwin Fefergrad, registrar at the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, said more co-ordination with government is needed to spread awareness of illegal practitioners, who often set up in cities with large immigrant populations, such as Ottawa and Toronto.

"This is not anybody with a golden heart or a bleeding heart. These are people that are actually running a cash business -- serious cash -- and harming the public," he said.

The public often doesn't know whether the person is a real dentist, Mr. Fefergrad said.

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Rachel Nixon

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 17:35 on March 24th, 2008

Wow - it's scary enough going to the dentist without wondering whether
they know what they're actually doing. I don't know about you, Barry,
but if I was going to set myself up as an imposter in any kind of
business, I wouldn't choose a field that involved sharp implements!

Barry Artiste

at 18:24 on March 24th, 2008

So true Rachel, so called professional imposters running around with sharp instruments certainly is a scary prospect. One can be certain there are many Dr. Nick Rivieras' from the Hollywood Upstairs School of Dentistry out there in North America. Thanks for the comments Rachel.