Undercover Hong Kong police officers ‘with toothache’ arrest 2 unlicensed dentists for allegedly treating patients in their homes
- Two men, both aged 70, arrested on suspicion of practising dentistry without a licence – an offence punishable by up to three years in jail and HK$100,000 fine
- Police say living rooms of their flats had been turned into clinics equipped with dentist chairs and other gear, as well as having controlled medicine
Undercover Hong Kong police officers posing as patients suffering from toothache have arrested two unlicensed dentists who were allegedly using their homes in the same building as dental clinics.
Superintendent Alan Chung, Kwai Chung divisional commander, said on Wednesday that preliminary investigations suggested the two suspects – both 70 – had been practising dentistry in their flats for at least five years without a licence.
He said the living rooms of their flats had been turned into clinics equipped with dentist chairs and other gear, as well as having controlled medicine.
“We believe the clients were mainly their regular customers, referrals and neighbours,” Chung said.
Police arrested the two men on suspicion of practising dentistry without a licence – an offence punishable by up to three years in jail and a HK$100,000 fine. The pair were also detained for possession of controlled drugs.
Officers began an investigation into two unlicensed dental clinics after a tip-off early this month. The pair knew each other but worked separately.
Chung said two undercover officers posed as patients and were sent to gather evidence around noon before their colleagues and Department of Health staff raided the two flats in the building on Lai King Hill Road in Kwai Chung.
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Inspector Jack Cheung Ka-wah of the Kwai Chung miscellaneous inquiries unit said initial investigations suggested the two men had run unlicensed dental clinics in the city’s notorious Kowloon Walled City before it was demolished decades ago.
The walled city was a densely populated enclave near the former Kai Tak airport that spanned 2.7 hectares (6.67 acres).
Chung said one of the suspects was alleged to have learned dentistry from relatives who probably operated illegally in the walled city decades ago.
The area was infamous for its opium parlours and gambling dens run by triads before it was knocked down in the run-up to Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Cheung said the two suspects allegedly provided general dentistry such as fillings, root canal treatment and tooth cleaning, with fees ranging from HK$500 to HK$10,000.
He said police were still investigating how many customers had sought treatment from the pair, adding that the force had not received any complaint about the two men.
The inspector urged the public not to support unlicensed dentists, warning that their facilities were crude with poor hygiene conditions and provided no protection for patients’ health.
He said the public should obtain the full name of a dentist, check the Dental Council’s register and inquire about their professional qualifications and credentials.
