Dentists Sound Alarm Over Surge in Fake Doctors
Dentists have raised alarm over the growing proliferation of unqualified individuals offering curative dental services, warning that the trend poses serious risks to public health.
Speaking during the inaugural Kenya Dentistry Awards (KDA), dental professionals urged Kenyans to always verify the credentials of anyone offering dental treatment to avert harm and tame malpractice in the sector.
This comes on the back of an incident trending on social media in which a patient had a tooth extracted by an unqualified practitioner, resulting in a fractured jaw.
“The public should be careful to seek dental healthcare services from registered dentists who are listed on the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDU) website,” said Dr Silas Toka, a practicing dentist and assistant lecturer at Moi University.
Proliferation of quark dental doctors in the sector has been caused by the high demand of dental healthcare services amid an acute shortage of registered dentists.
He noted the country only about 2,000 registered dentists since the inception of dentistry in 1978, serving a population of over 50 million.
Adding that while there exists a cadre of diploma-level professionals known as Community Oral Health Officers that are trained at institutions such as the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and Mount Kenya University, their role has been misapplied.
Echoing the same sentiments, Kenya Dental Association (KDA) president Dr. Kahura Mundia pointed to the high demand for dental services and called on the government to invest more in training.
“What the government can do is fund universities adequately so that more dentists are trained and released to provide the services Kenyans deserve,” he said, on the side lines of the award ceremony in Nairobi.
Community Oral Health Officers were initially envisioned as a primary healthcare and awareness creation workforce, Dr Toka explained.
“But as a country, we have trivialized their training by sending them to clinics to do curative work. This is a disservice to the public because they are not trained as rigorously as dentists to offer the best possible care,” he said.
Dr. Toka warned that this misplacement contributes to poor value for patients and fuels malpractice, adding that the biggest challenges facing dentistry in Kenya are education and regulation.
He noted that services such as prosthodontics—teeth replacement through dentures and implants—are among the most commonly available in public facilities, making proper training and regulation even more critical.
“If a clinician is not qualified with a degree and licensed by the Kenya Dental Practitioners and Dentists Council, that person is not supposed to be doing curative management in any facility,” he said.
The awards ceremony, organized to celebrate outstanding work by dentists across the country and to promote oral health.
Nickson Kirimi emerged as Dental Student of the Year in the awards, exemplifying promise, discipline, and a passion for excellence that signals a bright future for the profession.
Dr Bernina Kisumbi was honored as Outstanding Dental Educator and Lecturer of the Year, Dr Krishan Sarna received the Dental Researcher of the Year recognition, while Dr Gladys Akama emerged winner in the Outstanding Community Oral Health Outreach Personality category.
Other winners included Dr Douglas Oramis for Best Oral Health Advocacy and Public Awareness, Dr Kahura Mundia for Outstanding Contribution to Dental Regulation and Policy alongside Dr Rauzhat Adamjee for Excellence in Public Dental Service Delivery.
Other categories included Excellence in Private Practice, Oral Health Entrepreneur/Innovation & Technology/Practice Innovator of the Year Award Young Dentist of The Year and Lifetime Achievement Award in Dentistry.
The rest were Outstanding Dental Team of The Year, Dental Clinic of The Year, Dentist of The Year and Excellence in Private Practice which was bagged by Dr Rachel Gichuki and Dr Chege Mbiu.
ligadwah@businessdayafrica.org