The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is cracking down on unlicensed dentists across the state, according to a story in the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
State officials recently arrested 10 so-called dentists, saying it was a record number of such arrests for a 12-month period in New Jersey. The unlicensed practitioners were arrested in Newark, Jersey City, Union City, Garfield, Elizabeth, and North Bergen by undercover investigators from state and local police departments. They face up to five years in prison for practicing without a license, with years added for possession of prescription drugs or substances used in other countries but not approved by the FDA. Some face up to 25 years in state prison for all the charges, authorities told the Star-Ledger.
Many of the "dentists" are immigrants who claim they are licensed in their native countries, including Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru, and have years of experience. But state officials told the Star-Ledger that patients have been left with broken teeth that were not fully extracted or infections, and that some were rendered unconscious by anesthesia injections.
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