Consumer Protection Police have arrested five people accused of illegally providing dental and medical services in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon, seizing more than 1,000 items of medical equipment and supplies worth over 330,000 baht.
The operation carried out on Thursday targeted five locations. Four suspects were accused of practising dentistry without a licence, while another was charged with practising medicine without a licence.
The crackdown followed complaints from the Samut Sakhon provincial Public Health Office and members of the public about people offering dental services from private homes, including dentures, retainers and fashion braces.
Pol Lt Gen Nathasak Chaowanasai, the provincial police chief, said treatment by unlicensed practitioners could possibly result in permanent disability, and urged people to check that medical and dental providers are properly licensed before seeking treatment. (Story continues below)
Police arrested three people at homes in Krathum Baen district of Samut Sakhon. A 30-year-old woman was found preparing equipment for fashion braces and reportedly told police she had learned the procedure from YouTube. She had been charging prices starting from 1,300 baht per treatment for about a year.
A 61-year-old man was also found taking a dental impression from a customer. He told police he had worked in a dental laboratory before providing services from home for more than 30 years.
Another woman, 44, was also found taking a dental impression. She reportedly had experience as a dental technician and had been making retainers at home for about three years, charging around 9,000 baht.
At a roadside shop in Bang Khen district of Bangkok, police arrested a 56-year-old woman and seized 509 items, including dentures, resin and dental equipment. She reportedly told officers she had previously worked in a private dental laboratory before opening the business.
In Samut Prakan, officers arrested a 26-year-old woman at a beauty clinic while she was administering an intravenous vitamin drip. Although she held a nursing and midwifery licence, police revealed that she did not have a medical practitioner’s licence.
No doctor was present at the clinic at the time.
Police seized 56 categories of medical materials and equipment, totalling 1,058 items. The four suspects accused of unlicensed dental practice reportedly admitted to the charges.
Rattaphat Jirapiphat, a senior dental public health specialist and deputy chief of the Samut Sakhon office, warned people against using unlicensed dental services, saying improperly sterilised instruments could cause infections and other health complications.
