Dulcineea Fiorentina Paul was found guilty on December 15, 2016, at Thames Magistrates’ Court of five charges of unlawfully practicing dentistry, for which she was fined £5,000 per offence. Dulcineea – who did not attend the court – was also ordered to pay the GDC’s full costs of £2,364.10 and a £170 victim surcharge – a total of £27,534.10.
Dulcineea was suspended from the register on February 25, 2016, for multiple instances of poor quality care which meant she was unable to work as a dentist. Despite this, she immediately continued providing dental care to two patients – a grandmother and her granddaughter – on five separate occasions in February and March 2016. Dulcineea worked at a dental surgery in Chingford.
At no point did Dulcineea inform her patients that she was not legally allowed to practice dentistry at that time – and the treatment only stopped after the patients themselves found out about her suspension.
On passing sentence, the district judge noted that the offences were ‘very serious’ in particular because Dulcineea was working without insurance and she had previously been warned about providing dentistry whilst suspended.
Victoria Sheppard-Jones, interim head of illegal practice at the GDC, said: “If anyone provides dental services without being on the GDC’s official register they are breaking the law. This applies even if, as in this case, they have previously been registered as a dentist or other dental care professional.
“The GDC will take action – assessing fitness to practice or prosecuting them for illegal dentistry work – when it is absolutely necessary to protect patients and the public.
“In this case, Dr Paul continued to provide dental care despite knowing that this was illegal, immediately ignoring her suspension for poor quality treatment and working without insurance whilst not on the register. The fine reflects her disregard for the law, the risk she put her patients at and the rules of her profession – and shows the courts take a dim view of such actions”.