Guilty plea from illegal tooth whitener

21 June 2017
Volume 31 · Issue 6

Cheryl Brough, from Doncaster, pleaded guilty at Doncaster Magistrates’ court to one offence of illegal tooth whitening, following a prosecution by the General Dental Council (GDC).

Ms Brough carried out tooth whitening illegally while working at Vanity Lounge, in Nottinghamshire. Ms Brough is not a qualified dental professional and is not registered with the GDC, meaning that she cannot legally perform the act of dentistry in the United Kingdom.

Ms Brough was fined £200 and ordered to pay both a £30 victim surcharge and the full costs to the General Dental Council, which were £1,418.

Victoria Sheppard-Jones, interim head of the illegal practice team, said, “Cases such as this show how important it is for patients to receive dental care, which includes tooth-whitening, from someone who is suitably qualified and has the skills and experience to carry out the treatment safely. 

“The GDC’s role is to protect patients and work to maintain public confidence in the dental profession. Part of the way we achieve this is by regulating dental professionals and investigating and, where appropriate prosecuting, cases of illegal practice.

“To ensure patient safety, tooth whitening can only be carried out by dentists and dental care professionals who are registered with the GDC. The GDC investigates and where appropriate prosecutes those who carry out illegal dentistry, to ensure that members of the public are protected and not put at risk.

“We urge any individual seeking to get their teeth whitened – or any other dental service – to check our online register before doing so. This way they can make sure their dental professional is registered, trained and qualified to do the job they say they will do.”