Suspended dentist given additional 15 months for professional misconduct
A dentist serving a 15-month suspension dealt out by the Singapore Dental Council (SDC) has been suspended an additional 15 months for further professional misconduct.
This is the third time in four years that Dr Sng Wee Hock of WH Dental Surgeons, which has clinics in Hougang, Punggol and Seletar, has run afoul of the dental professional watchdog.
Dr Sng was the approved supervisor for two Australian-trained dentists who are here under conditional registration. Instead of having them work in the same clinic with him, he had them working in different clinics.
This came to light when one of the clinic's former employees made a complaint to the SDC, the dental professional watchdog, that the two dentists under conditional registration were in fact working without supervision.
The SDC's disciplinary committee decided to impose the maximum fine of $50,000 on Dr Sng because his action was "driven by profits", and also because of his previous convictions.
The prosecution had also asked for a 20- to 24-month suspension for Dr Sng.
Such serious breaches of supervision was "prevalent enough" that the SDC had to issue several circulars on the need for proper supervision at all times.
The disciplinary committee decided to suspend Dr Sng for 15 months for one case and four months for the other. The suspensions run concurrently.
But the SDC made it clear that the 15-month suspension will start only after the suspension he is now serving is completed.
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