Dentists or Orthodontists ?

Public concerns were raised on the professionalism in medical practice after two incidents of botched circumcision. To alleviate public worry and anxiety, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reiterated that action would be taken against general practitioners and health professionals who perform circumcision without the necessary training.

Subsequently, the two doctors involved had been referred to the Malaysian Medical Council for investigation, as disclosed by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam last week.

There is another field of medical practice which also needs the attention of the Health Ministry.

There is a trend in dental clinics where dental doctors offer orthodontic treatment in addition to their normal dental treatment. This is, of course, an additional venue and choice for the patients as there are limited orthodontic clinics in our country.

However, do the patients who need orthodontic treatment really understand the difference between dentists and qualified orthodontists? Therefore, finding a great dental practice is challenging as most patients are limited in their ability to evaluate the quality and professionalism of types of dental work.

I can still recall what the president of the Malaysian Orthodontic Practitioners Association, Dr Kathiravan Purmal, had said: “Any general dentist can carry out orthodontic treatment as it is allowed under the Dental Act (1971), as orthodontic treatment is within the scope of practice of a general dental practitioner. The role of general dentists is to manage non-complicated orthodontic cases and refer the complicated ones to orthodontists.”

It is clear from the statement that, for the complicated cases, the dentists should act professionally and refer the patients to orthodontists.

If a substantial amount of dental work is unavoidable, getting a second opinion may be worthwhile. One can ask dentists to show he or she the “before” and “after” photographs of patients who have undergone similar treatments. Another important factor to consider is the high fee, including the provision of advanced services such as Invisalign.

To the general public, the above would not be in their knowledge unless they are professionally advised.

Clearly, there is a need for guidance in the dentistry field from the authorities.