Imagine that you have a toothache and you rush to your nearest dentist to get the problem fixed. When you get there, the dentist doesn’t wash his hands or wear gloves or a mask, nor does he disinfect his tools before inspecting your pearly whites.
Be careful, there’s a chance he might be one of the nearly 3,000 illegal dentists operating in the city, says the Dental College of Lima.
According to Dean David Vera Trujillo, the high volume of unlicensed dentists is a growing concern for the dental community. He told El Comercio that 10 percent (about 300) of the new dental clinics that open each year are bogus.
The majority of the illegal clinics can be found on the outskirts of the city, in the districts of Huaycan, San Juan de Lurigancho, Carabayllo, Comas, San Martin de Porres and Villa Maria del Triunfo.
Last week, El Comercio went down to Avenida Nicolas Ayllon in ATE district and counted more than six dental clinics per block. The daily even found a dentist willing to remove a tooth for only S/.15 ($5.50). The procedure normally costs closer to S/. 40 in a fully licensed clinic, according to experts contacted by El Comercio.
Extreme low cost is one of the signs of an illegal clinic.
“Lack of sanitary dental practices increases the chance of a dentist transmitting Hepatitis B by 15 percent and HIV by 2 percent,” Amparo Moscoso, of the Metropolitan Health System, told El Comercio. “These diseases are dangerous and can be spread through the blood, used toothbrushes, or contaminated instruments.”
The Dental College of Lima also estimates that 20 percent of “legally” licensed dental clinics end up being run by individuals without the proper training. Among them are technicians and dental students without legal certification for the job.
According to El Comercio, operating as a dentist without a license is punishable by up to 4 years in prison. However, the Dental College would like to see the punishment increase.
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