A self-taught "dentist" who advertised her services on Carousell was fined for illegally performing dental procedures on patients in Singapore.

Siti Shahrima Binti Abd Rahim, 37, was a Malaysian who would regularly travel to Singapore to perform these illegal procedures.

She claimed that she was a dentist in Malaysia, but in reality had taught herself through YouTube videos and was instead a part-time waitress at a Johor Bahru hotel.

She was caught after a patient filed a complaint with the Ministry of Health (MOH) when she could not floss her teeth through the veneers that the "dentist" had installed.

Trained on YouTube

The court heard that Siti first learnt how to tighten braces in 2020.

She had been wearing braces and would visit a dental clinic in Johor Bahru for her monthly tightening.

But when she was unable to do so during the Malaysian Movement Control Order (MCO), she decided to teach herself to do so through YouTube videos.

She bought the tools and materials on Shopee.

In August the same year, she began advertising a number of services on Carousell, including braces, veneers, and retainers.

Her services were advertised in Singapore and she would enter the country regularly to perform these dental procedures.

Hotel dentistry

To perform the procedures, she'd book a room at a Hilton-brand hotel and make arrangements through Carousell or WhatsApp.

In total, she performed around 30 procedures, including composite veneers and braces maintenance.

The gig was only up in 2022, when one patient, a 36-year-old Singapore permanent resident, realised that she was unable to floss her teeth after getting veneers installed by Siti.

She had come across the listing on Carousell and been quoted S$700 to have her existing veneers removed, replaced, and additional veneers installed.

During their conversation, Siti introduced herself as a dentist from Malaysia.

The patient agreed and they arranged to meet on Jan. 30, 2022, at Conrad Centennial Hotel.

The procedure took about two hours in total.

Getting caught

But the next day, the patient realised that she was unable to floss her teeth through her new veneers, as the gaps between her teeth were too small.

She texted Siti for advice and to request rectification, but the latter replied that she was under quarantine for Covid-19 and could not do anything about it.

When the patient continued to text her, Siti eventually blocked her on WhatsApp.

On Feb. 4, 2022, the patient emailed MOH, complaining about the "dentist from Malaysia".

Siti was subsequently handed two charges under the Dental Registration Act.

She pleaded guilty to one and consented to the other.

The fine

The prosecution sought a fine of S$2,500 to S$3,000, noting the harm caused to the patient and the potential for other, more serious injuries that could have occurred.

The fact that Siti had misrepresented herself as a dentist from Malaysia, and entered Singapore multiple times to commit the crimes, was also brought up.

In sentencing, the judge highlighted the length of Siti's period of offending, which was one-and-a-half years.

Siti was fined S$2,500 by the court and has paid it in full, reported CNA.

Top image from Unsplash

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