Majid Rahebi of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was convicted and fined $11,250 in October for falsely representing that he was authorized or qualified to practice as a dentist and $18,750 for performing restricted dental acts, including invasive dental procedures like root canal treatment, crowns, and tooth extractions. He also possessed and administered prescription medications, namely anesthetics, which he was not authorized to do.
Rahebi has never been registered as a dentist or as any other health practitioner in Australia and holds no formal dental qualifications. Yet while operating MJ Dental Care, he provided dental services under the guise of a registered dental practitioner. The charges addressed Rahebi’s conduct between November 15, 2017, and February 24, 2018, while working at MJ Dental Care in Guildford West, NSW.
On May 14, 2018, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) charged Rahebi with 44 counts of falsely representing that he was a registered dentist and 31 counts of performing a restricted dental act. MJ Dental Care also was charged with falsely representing that Rahebi was authorized or qualified to practice as a dentist. AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher said that part of AHPRA’s role is to act against people pretending to be qualified to provide regulated health services.
“This is part of what we do to protect the public. Our staff act quickly when we are alerted that a person is holding out as a registered health practitioner. We also work with our regulatory partners in NSW to coordinate the best response so that the public is protected. This matter is an extreme example of what we sometimes find. To represent that you are a registered dental practitioner, operate a business that supports that lie, and carry out restricted dental acts that may endanger the public is not behavior that goes unchecked,” said Fletcher.
At sentencing, Rahebi was ordered to pay legal costs to AHPRA in addition to the $30,000 total fine. Rahebi also was ordered to pay approximately $19,950 in costs as he was convicted in the Local Court of NSW after pleading guilty to all charges. Plus, Rahebi’s company MJ Dental Care was convicted and fined $11,250 for representing that he was authorized or qualified to practice as a dentist. Murray Thomas, chair of the Dental Board of Australia, said that this outcome and other recent similar outcomes show that regulators take seriously anyone falsely claiming to be dentists.
“We are pleased to see strong sentences for anyone holding out as a registered dental practitioner. This outcome demonstrates that AHPRA and the board will act as soon as concerns are raised with us. The most important thing for us is that the work we do helps to maintain the highest of standards for the dental profession. We strive to maintain public confidence in the expertise and professionalism of dental practitioners,” said Thomas.
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