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A dentist has expressed strong concerns about the emergence of unregulated dental tourism consultations taking place in Northern Irish hotels. These events, often described as “pop-up” consultations, are reportedly not properly registered, raising serious legal and safety issues. Paul Brennan, who chairs the Northern Ireland branch of the British Dental Association (BDA), highlighted that the practice of examining patients’ mouths during these consultations amounts to dentistry, which requires adherence to regulatory standards.
The BDA has issued warnings that such activities could be considered illegal practices if the dentists and venues involved are not registered with the appropriate authorities. In the UK, anyone performing dental work must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC), while the locations where dental services occur need to be registered with the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). According to RQIA, intelligence gathered since October 2023 has identified 21 unregistered groups organizing such consultation events in Northern Ireland.
In response to these concerns, cease and desist letters have been sent to the overseas dental practices responsible for these events, rather than to the hotels hosting them. Recently, two scheduled events in Belfast were cancelled following inquiries by BBC News NI, either by the dental providers themselves or the hotels. One overseas company, Smiles Turkey, stated it withdrew a planned event in Belfast after concerns regarding its legality were raised. The company maintained that their intended event was meant to be a non-clinical, commercial information session and that no physical or intra-oral examinations were planned. They further emphasized that the cancellation should not be interpreted as an admission of unlawfulness.
Despite such claims, the BDA stresses that these pop-up dental consultations often involve more than simple marketing. Paul Brennan recounted attending one such event where he was subjected to an oral examination, explaining, “Once you examine a patient’s mouth, that’s dentistry.” He pointed out that even a professional assessment or advice on needed treatment constitutes dental practice. Brennan also noted that many dentists involved in these pop-up events come from abroad and are typically not registered with UK regulatory bodies, meaning they are conducting dentistry illegally. Furthermore, the BDA has observed an increase in severe dental complications among patients in Northern Ireland following treatments overseas, typically after attending these initially advertised consultation events within local venues
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