8-4-2024 (SINGAPORE) In a bizarre case that has raised concerns about unregulated medical practices, a woman who learned to perform dental procedures on herself during the COVID-19 pandemic has been fined for offering such services illegally to customers in Singapore.
Siti Shahrima Abd Rahim, a 37-year-old Malaysian, was fined S$2,500 (US$1,850) by a district court on Monday (Apr 8) after pleading guilty to one count under the Dental Registration Act, with a second similar charge taken into consideration.
The court heard that Siti, who works as a part-time waitress at a hotel in Johor Bahru, resorted to unconventional means when she was unable to visit her dentist during the pandemic-induced lockdowns in Malaysia.
In 2020, Siti was undergoing dental treatment involving braces to straighten her teeth. However, the movement control orders imposed in Malaysia due to COVID-19 prevented her from attending her regular appointments.
Undeterred, Siti took matters into her own hands by learning how to perform procedures on her braces by watching instructional videos on YouTube.
Emboldened by her self-taught skills, Siti began advertising dental services such as veneer whitening, tooth and braces whitening, and providing retainers on her Carousell account, quoting prices ranging from S$650 to S$700 for different services.
Siti would enter Singapore on short-term visit passes and conduct these illegal dental services at hotels under the Hilton brand. She communicated with potential customers on Carousell or WhatsApp, informing them of the hotel locations a few days before the procedures and branding herself as a Malaysian dentist.
In total, Siti provided composite veneers to about 20 customers, performed braces maintenance on about 10 customers, and provided cosmetic braces to at least one customer – all while not being registered as a dentist under Singapore’s Dental Registration Act and without a valid practising certificate.
The ruse came to an end when a disgruntled Filipino customer, who had paid S$700 for composite veneers, reported the incident to the Ministry of Health (MOH) after realizing she could not floss her teeth following the procedure.
The customer had initially agreed to the price and was instructed to meet Siti at the Conrad Centennial hotel on Jan 30, 2022. There, an unknown man escorted her to a hotel room where Siti was waiting.
Siti proceeded to remove the customer’s old veneers using a non-professional instrument purchased on Shopee, similar to those used for removing manicures. She then applied new composite veneers on the customer’s teeth.
The following day, the customer noticed she could not floss her teeth due to the lack of space between them after the veneers were applied. When she contacted Siti, who claimed to be under quarantine for COVID-19, the customer decided to report the incident to the MOH.
An independent dental expert’s report stated that Siti had used a non-professional instrument in her procedure, which could have led the patient to require more complex procedures.
In sentencing, the judge acknowledged that the victim had suffered some harm due to her inability to floss her teeth and that Siti’s period of offending spanned one-and-a-half years. Siti also misrepresented herself as a dental practitioner, the judge added.
Siti paid the fine in full and expressed her desire to return to Malaysia as soon as possible to celebrate Hari Raya.
