ILOILO City – Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 6 arrested two fake dentists in separate operations in this city and Iloilo province.
“They were practicing dentistry without a license,” said Police Major Jess Baylon who spearheaded the operation.
The 23-year-old Andrea Besquillo of Barangay Maya, Balasan, Iloilo was apprehended at around 2 p.m. on Jan. 21 in her house.
Two hours after, Edrian Peñaflor, 23, of Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro, Iloilo City was cornered in his boarding house in Barangay Rizal Estanzuela, City Proper.
“Before we conducted the entrapments, we checked with the Philippine Dental Association (PDA). Their names were not in the list of registered dentists,” said Baylon.
A 17-year-old girl complained to the PDA she suffered from infection from the dental braces that Peñaflor installed.
The PDA alerted the CIDG and an entrapment was planned.
“We caught them in the act. Peñaflor was operating in Iloilo City while Besquillo, in Iloilo province. Indi sila kilalahay. Nag-timing lang nga damo complaints sa PDA and it coordinated with us,” Baylon told Panay News.
The suspects face charges for violation of Republic Act 9484 or the Philippine Dental Act of 2000.
“Most of their clients were minors who wanted to have braces,” Baylon said.
Clients were alleged asked to pay between P5,000 and P8,000, she added.
CIDG operatives recovered from the two separate operations dental equipment, materials and supplies.
The suspects were detained at the CIDG detention cell.
Baylon urged the public to seek the services of license dentists only.
“Basi may nabal-an kamo nga illegal dental procedures, kadto sa PDA or sa amon (for appropriate action),” said Baylon.
The Philippine Dental Act of 2000 prohibits any person to practice dentistry, dental hygiene or dental technology without a certificate of registration and professional identification card and special permit issued in.
The penalties are a fine of not less than P200,000 nor more than P500,000, or imprisonment for a period of not less than two years and one day nor more than five years, or both, in the discretion of the court.
The law defines a dentist as a person who is a holder of a valid certificate of registration and professional identification card in Dentistry who renders dental service.
A dental hygienist, on the other hand, refers to a person who is a holder of a valid certificate of registration and professional identification card and has undergone a two-year course in dental hygiene from a government-recognized school under a college of dentistry and passing the prescribed board examination for dental hygienist, renders oral health promotion and preventive measures, performs scaling and polishing, oral examination, taking brief clinical history, taking radiograph, and giving oral health education to patients under the supervision of a licensed dentist.
Meanwhile, a dental technologist refers to a person who is a holder of a valid certificate of registration and professional identification card and who renders technical services such as mechanical construction of artificial denture and other oral devices under the supervision of a licensed dentist, and has finished a two-year certificate course in dental technology from any government recognized school./PN
