Dental Council works to Update Dental Act
The Guyana Dental Council is currently reviewing the Dental Registration Act in an effort to better enforce penalties for persons who violate the legislation,
The Guyana Dental Council is responsible for registering dental practitioners and keeps a mandate of to protecting the public from unsafe dental practices. The council operates under the Dental Registration Act 1998.
Chairman of the Guyana Dental Council Dr. Pravesh Harry says there is need to update this act to ensure the Council can better hold persons accountable for unsafe practices and other wrong doings.
“We would like to see added, the ability to enforce certain standards in dentistry. We would then be able to ensure that things, for instance; hygiene of dental offices, sterilization standards – all things that affect the health of persons attending that office are up to date and in check.”
In 2021, under the previous Chairman, the council had met with Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall to discuss a revision of the act.
The current act has a number of deficiencies which are allegedly not suited to properly govern the modern dental sector.
Dr Harry says the current council has already begun the process of reviewing and drafting recommendations for updating the act.
“There are antiquated fines and punishments that have been listed or identified in the act. What we would like to do is bring that to 2022.”
These recommendations will be taken to the Government sometime this year.
Dr Harry says, “At the end of the day, we wish to ensure that there is accountability. Certainly in the practice of dentistry, we are directly affecting persons’ health. We need to be able to do that in the right environment and do the right things. Should we veer from what is correct there must be some means of dealing with that appropriately.”
