Ministry weighs private partnerships to expand dental care

The Ministry of Health is considering possible partnerships with private providers in a bid to expand public dental services, as concerns continue over illegal dental practices and the cost of treatment.

The move comes as the ministry urges the public to exercise caution when considering dental services advertised on social media, particularly those offered by people who may not be appropriately qualified or licensed.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Arthur Phillips told Barbados TODAY the advisory followed concerns raised by the Dental Council and Dental Association.

He said: “They’ve been seeing some patterns, they’ve been seeing advertisements, and they’ve been receiving information that indicated that care was being offered by persons who were not qualified. They expressed concern, and then they followed up later to indicate that they were again seeing additional advertisements for services.”

The public oral health service primarily focuses on children through the school dental service, which provides education and preventive dentistry services.

Now, the ministry intends to strengthen and expand its oral health offerings over time, even as there have been increasing calls from the public for more affordable dental services.

Dr Phillips said: “We’re looking at all the options in terms of partnering with the private sector, in terms of increasing our cadres of staff and widening our offerings.

“There is a programme that we’ve been speaking about in terms of the strengthening of the polyclinic offerings, the refurbishment of all the polyclinics, and the rebuilding of two of them under the Saudi programme, and the oral health programme is part of that effort as well.”

He also acknowledged the need for additional staff to deliver the ministry’s school dental services: “We are aware that we need to expand our staffing so that we can deliver on our current mandate.”

The medical official noted that the Dental Council has the authority, in collaboration with the police, to investigate and take appropriate action against people practising without the necessary qualifications or licences.

“While, in the first instance, they are set up to regulate the practice of qualified, registered dentists, they are also, in the wider sense, to ensure that persons are protected from harm from unlicensed and unqualified persons, or even from qualified persons who may be negligent or otherwise.”

In its public advisory, the ministry said dental treatment should only be provided by a dentist who is appropriately qualified, registered and licensed to practise dentistry in Barbados.

The public was also advised to verify the credentials and registration status of a dental provider before undergoing treatment or making payment for dental services.

(LG)