The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners put out a warning about people posing as dental professionals and performing unlicensed dental work in unsafe locations, wral.com reported Feb. 12.
Five notes:
1. Bobby White, executive director and legal counsel for the state dental board, told WRAL that the board has noticed an uptick in cases in recent months.
2. These unlicensed services are often advertised on social media for much cheaper costs, with some work being performed in sheds, garages and homes.
3. Mr. White told WRAL that the board often learns of these cases once patients visit a licensed dentist after being harmed by the unlicensed individuals, or when the patients file a complaint with the board.
4. The board has filed more than a dozen injunctions to stop the practice of unlicensed dentistry, but Mr. White said the board may have only reached "the tip of the iceberg."
5. Mr. White told WRAL that the board provides information on its investigations to district attorneys, who can then decide to pursue criminal charges. However, the district attorneys usually decide against it because of resource constraints.