An illegal dentist operating out of his Coquitlam home has been sentenced to 45 days in jail and ordered to pay $35,000 to the College of Dental Surgeons today.
Vladimir Shapoval was busted back in 2006 and barred from performing dentistry, but continued operating out of his home until he was arrested by police in October.
"None of these people are doing it out of the goodness of their heart. I haven’t met anyone yet, who is an illegal practitioner, who isn’t doing it for the money. That’s what they're in it for," said Jerome Marburg, the CEO of the College of Dental Surgeons.
Marburg said he hopes the sentence will deter other would-be illegal dentists.
"It sends a very strong signal out there, first of all to people to understand that they need to go to a licensed practitioner and that they can be in harm’s way. The judge recognized the harm this person was doing and gave a stiff sentence because of that," he said.
As part of the sentence, Shapoval's dentist equipment will not be returned to him.
Shapoval is one of several recent cases involving illegal dentists in Vancouver.
Tung Sheng "David" Wu worked as a dentist at a home in Burnaby before police shut him down, prompting him to go on the run. He was arrested in Toronto in November and sentenced to three months in jail for contempt of court.
Hua Zheng Huang, who operated a similar practice out of his home in East Vancouver, was hit with a permanent injunction from the College of Dental Surgeons barring him from presenting himself as a dentist or practicing dentistry.
