Dental patients given increased protection

The system, which came into effect on January 18, ensures that within three days of a dental care professional (DCP) being prohibited, suspended or restricted from practicing, a Europe wide alert is issued.

Leading oral health charity, the British Dental Health Foundation, is hailing the implementation as a decisive move towards giving patients greater protection from unsafe dental treatments.

Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive at the British Dental Health Foundation, commented: “We are delighted that this system has come into effect, it gives patients much greater visibility and security when it comes to their oral health.

“It also demonstrates that DCP’s who are practicing unsafe treatments will not be allowed to put further patients at risk if they choose to move to another European country.

“This will hopefully lead to an improvement in standards of dental practice Europe wide and more public trust in dentistry.”

The system means that regulators must, as a minimum, identify restricted DCP’s by issuing their name, date and place of birth to help their counterparts detect if that person is practicing in their country.