An unregistered dentist was offering patients treatments, including X-rays, in the sittingroom of a Dublin apartment, the Irish Dental Council has said.
The council, a regulatory body tasked with promoting high standards of professional education and conduct among dentists, cited the case in a submission to the Oireachtas Committee on Health in which it called for revisions to the Dentists Act, 1985.
It argues there are “significant gaps” in the legislation, particularly in relation to its inability to regulate or inspect dental practices, and this “is harming, and will continue to harm, patients”.
The Irish Times recently reported that the council has been unable to act on 80 per cent of credible allegations it received about unregistered dentists in the past three years. It previously highlighted cases of a convicted sex offender believed to be working as a dentist in Ireland, as well as a dentist struck off in two other countries opening a practice in Dublin.
The submission, sent to the committee earlier this month, outlines 15 situations from recent years in which patients were put at risk because the council was unable to inspect premises and take action against unregistered dentists.
In relation to the unregistered dentist operating from an apartment, the council was unable to act due to not having the full name of the dentist or adequate information about the exact apartment number.
In another case, a person purporting to be a registered dentist gave a false name to the mother of a child presenting with a severe dental infection.
“The infection was not addressed and became progressively more serious over a period of weeks as it wasn’t treated,” the council’s submission said. “The name of the dentist given to the mother was that of a dentist working in another dental practice.
“The Dental Council is satisfied that the named dentist was not the treating dentist and has no connection with the practice. The identity of this person who treated the child remains unknown.”
[ Dental Council lacks ‘sufficient powers’ to act against unregistered dentistsOpens in new window ]
The Department of Health said it is reviewing and updating the Dentists Act as part of broader oral health reforms.
“A priority for 2026 is to consider and proceed with amendments to the Act for areas which have been agreed with the Dental Council as priorities and to progress these where appropriate,” a spokeswoman said.
“The first of these priority interim enhancements is establishing a statutory basis for the Dental Council to implement continuous professional development … Government approval was granted in December 2025 and work is ongoing to develop the necessary legislation.”