Hundreds of botox dentists inject in places they are not allowed to
More and more dentists, estimated to be between three and five hundred, are now focusing on injecting botox and fillers for cosmetic purposes. But they are not allowed to do so at all, according to the medical disciplinary tribunal. The regional disciplinary tribunal in Amsterdam ruled in a case brought against a dentist from 't Gooi. A client had suffered significant damage to her face during a treatment for drooping eyelids. The disciplinary judge found that the dentist should not have been involved with the area around the eyes. According to the BIG Act (Dutch Healthcare Professionals Act), injecting botox or fillers is a so-called reserved procedure that may only be performed by authorized and competent doctors.
According to the disciplinary tribunal, dentists are not authorized because they may only perform treatments that serve a dental purpose. The ruling is a blow to the growing group of dentists - now estimated at three to five hundred - who have focused on botox and fillers. They eagerly entered the cosmetic market in recent years.
Research by the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam showed that in 2016, approximately 390,000 Dutch people underwent treatment with injectables, 240,000 with botox and 148,000 with fillers. The market is expected to continue growing in the coming years.
Dentists consider themselves the designated party to perform the treatments, because they have a relationship of trust with patients and already regularly work with injectables in and around the mouth. "The dentist is an expert in this field," says Eric van Leeuwen, chairman of the Dutch Association for Dento Facial Aesthetics (NVDFE). He calls the boundaries drawn in the face 'arbitrary'.
The Dutch Association for Cosmetic Medicine (NVCG) is pleased with the ruling. "It's very good that it is now clear that dentists are not allowed to be involved in this," says chairwoman Catharina Meijer. She sees a proliferation of dentists, but also general practitioners and even beauticians who are taking on botox. "That is a thorn in our side. We want the Healthcare Inspectorate to take action against dentists."
The Zorginstituut (Dutch Healthcare Institute), a government body, is working on a quality framework. This framework will state who is competent to perform which cosmetic procedures. Sources close to the institute expect that dentists will also fall by the wayside here.
Source: ad.nl
