Authorities have shut down two suspected illegal dentistry clinics operating out of East Vancouver.
Investigators from the B.C. College of Dental Surgeons raided one home on East 38th Avenue Monday morning after receiving a tip from the public.
A full-sized dental examination chair was removed from the first floor as the home, as well as computer equipment and an air compressor.
Books filled with names and telephone numbers were also removed from the makeshift clinic.
“We took any and all the dental related material from the home and we’re in the process of getting a detailed list and copy to the owner of the equipment,” investigator Alex Penner told CTV News.
Inspectors said the practice was “fairly clean,” but there was no X-ray machine or any sterilization tools. It appears to have specialized in dentures.
The suspected illegal dentist can ask for the materials returned to him during court proceedings, but it’s at the judge’s discretion.
Investigators also raided a second home where a woman was allegedly practising dentistry unlawfully just a few blocks away.
The college says the clinics are usually brought to their attention by disgruntled customers.
“We have really no idea how many there are,” Penner said. “We suspect there’s many more but people are very tight-lipped about the operation.”
The latest cases mark the fourth and fifth alleged illegal dental clinics the college has investigated in the past year.
In February, an illegal dentist operating out of a Coquitlam home was sentenced to 45 days in jail and ordered to pay $35,000.
Vladimir Shapoval was barred from practicing dentistry back in 2006, but continued to operate illegally until his arrest in October 2013.
Tung Sheng "David" Wu was arrested in Toronto last fall after his Burnaby, B.C., clinic was raided. He was ordered to serve three months in jail for contempt of court.
And Hua Zheng Huang, who operated a similar practice out of his East Vancouver home, was hit with a permanent injunction from the college.
Follow @CTV_Lisa on Twitter for the latest updates on this story, and watch CTV News at Six for more on the investigation.
