The influx of fake dentists in the country should be a concern to many because if left unchecked it would have disastrous effects on the health of those with gum disease and other dental conditions.

The Ghana Dental Association (GDA) claims that these quack den­tists work in barbershops and hair salons. This development is concern­ing since these false medical profes­sionals endanger the lives and health of numerous innocent people.

This concern was brought to light at the 33rd annual general con­ference of the GDA, on the theme “Strengthening the GDA: An All In­clusive Membership for Tommorrow’s Success,” in Kumasi, in the Ashanti region.

It is clear that these quack doctors prey on innocent people under the pretense of treating dental conditions in order to further their evil goals of getting enormous sums of money.

It comes as no surprise that the GDA is concerned about the trend and is urging the association and security forces to work together to apprehend these quack dentists.

The Spectator is urging those who indulge in these practices to stop since they are damaging the hon­ourable profession of dentistry and putting many people’s health at risk.

It also seems odd to us that individuals would go to the length of using the services of these quack dentists who operate in barbershops and hair salons rather than visiting licensed medical professionals for treatment.

The problem is worrying and we should all exercise caution while us­ing the services of these quack doc­tors who seek to enrich themselves at the expense of helpless victims.

According to statistics, approxi­mately 70 to 80 percent of dentists are concentrated in the southern region of the country, primarily in Ac­cra and Kumasi, with the remaining 20 percent being dispersed through­out the northern sector.

The Spectator is surprised that the majority of specialist services are concentrated in urban areas. For this reason, we support the request of Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, Minister of Health, that teaching hospitals work with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to enable consultants or specialists at the hospitals to occasionally provide their services to other parts of the country where they lack expertise.

That, we believe, will go a long way to stop people from patronising the services of these quack doctors as some times the signs are clearly written on the walls but people have no other option than to seek medical attention from unregulated practic­es.

In our view more doctors should be encouraged to enter the field of dentistry to cater for the dental needs of the public as currently, reports say that “As of 2022 there were a total of 570 dentists for a population of 31 million people – a ratio of one to 58,400 people which falls below the World Health Organi­sations (WHOs) recommendation of a dentist for every 7,500 people.

Meanwhile, we urge the public to seek dental care regularly from qualified dentists not only when they have teeth ailments but to do it as a regular practice to avoid serious conditions in the future.

We also urge the public to try as much as possible to maintain good oral hygiene by heeding to these preventive measures which include, brushing teeth twice a day, using the right brushing technique, flossing regularly, eating healthy food and avoiding sugary drinks.