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Mumbai's largest dental clinics chain under scanner for advertising

MyDentist has come under scanner for its advertising schemes which include free checkups and x-rays.

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City's largest chain of dental clinics – MyDentist – has come under the dental councils' scanner for advertising the facility. In fact, the Maharsahtra State Dental Council (MSDC) and the Karnataka State Dental Council (KSDC) sent the clinic a notice in this regard on May 21. Reportedly, the KSDC has received numerous complaints about the organisation's unethical practices. MyDentist has 106 clinics in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat and Bangalore.

The letter has asked the clinic authorities to stop the advertisements with immediate effect, besides providing a clarification for their activities, failing which disciplinary action will be initiated against all doctors working with the organisation. It added that the council will recommend cancellation of their registrations as well.

"It is a very important issue. The MSDC first sent them a notice in February this year regarding an inquiry. We warned the management and orally instructed them to remove all the advertisements put on city buses,' said Dr Narendra Kale, executive committee member of MSDC.

Kale, who is also a member of the inquiry committee, said the organisation was luring patients by advertising and announcing promotional schemes. According to sources, the organisation was involved in advertisements promising free check-ups and X-rays, and promotional activities such as freebies.

Earlier in March this year, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) had pulled up the city's two well known infertility experts for advertising. The doctors were suspended for three months for violating medical ethics.

After the MMC action, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) started a series of awareness and sensitisation sessions on ethical practises with its members across India. It asked its 2.5 lakh members to refrain from advertising and guaranteeing treatment.

Reacting to KSDC's letter, threatening action against the dentists attached with the organisation, doctors asked if the management was involved in malpractice, why should the employees bear the brunt? "It is a welcome move by the dental councils. Most dentists working with the management here, however, are freshers. Why pull them up for the wrongdoings of the management and cancel their registrations,? questioned a dentist.

Meanwhile, MyDentist CEO Vikram Vora denied all charges, saying the Dentists' Code of Ethics Regulation 1976 was revised via gazette in June 2014. "It says the global position on the issue of Ethics of Advertisement by Dental/Medical professionals has drastically changed over the last few decades. A dentist or a group of dentists may advertise, provided they maintain decorum, keeping in mind the high moral obligations and the value that society places on the important nature of their work and the moral character and integrity expected of them," said Vora.

He added, "We are only advertising free dental check-ups to spread awareness on dental hygiene. As per our studies, on an average, a person goes to a dentist only twice in a lifetime, which is very poor. The basic barrier in approaching a dentist is the huge consultation charges. This is why, we provide free dental check-ups."

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