A man was charged on January 31 with a felony for reportedly unlawfully performing dental procedures without a license in the basement of a home in Taylorsville, UT, according to multiple news reports.
Enrique Moroni Gomez Vera, 32, was charged with unlawful occupational or professional conduct. On his Facebook page, Vera purportedly stated that he studied the equivalent of oral medicine in Peru, referred to himself as “Dr. Enrique Gomez,” and displayed an image of himself wearing a mask and scrubs while checking a child’s teeth, according to reports.
In November 2023, authorities began investigating Vera after a Utah College of Dental Hygiene instructor reported that a student’s client allegedly had a tooth extracted by Vera at a house.
The client reported that she left in extreme pain after the tooth was pulled. Her excruciating pain led her to seek treatment at the college. An x-ray showed that part of its root remained in her gums, according to the stories.
On November 22, 2023, police searched the home where Vera was reportedly performing dentistry and arrested him. The search revealed several dental instruments, a sterilizer, tooth molds, miscellaneous medications, a dental cleaning machine, and paperwork that showed different outstanding amounts for services performed for multiple clients. Additionally, a dental suction system was found inside a room of the home, according to stories.
Later, Vera purportedly admitted to police that he provided dental services at the house to those who could not afford care at a dental practice. He claimed to be a dentist in Peru but had not yet received a license to practice in Utah and was aware that it was illegal to practice without one, according to news articles.
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