Beautician's warning after being fined for illegal teeth-whitening

Sharon Dibbo (47), of Littlewood Way Maltby, admitted at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court to carrying out the treatment unlawfully.

The beautician is not a qualified dental professional, nor is she registered with the General Dental Council.

This means she cannot legally perform dentistry in the UK, under the Dentists Act.

Mrs Dibbo whitened teeth at Lipstick Lounge, on Herringthorpe Valley Road, on March 9, and was prosecuted by the General Dental Council.

She was fined £700 and ordered to pay the full costs of £2,285.92 to the General Dental Council.

Victoria Sheppard-Jones, interim head of the GDC illegal practice team, said: “This shows how seriously both the GDC and the magistrates’ courts take the illegal practice of dentistry.

“We hope this outcome will encourage patients to ensure that when they seek dental treatment, they check whether the practitioner is registered with the GDC."

She added: “The GDC’s role is to protect patients and work to maintain public confidence in the dental profession.

“Part of the way we achieve this is by regulating dental professionals and investigating and, where appropriate, prosecuting cases of illegal practice.

“To ensure patient safety, tooth whitening can only be carried out by dentists and dental care professionals who are registered with the GDC.”

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Dibbo said she had undertaken a course in laser teeth-whitening, unaware that this would not qualify her to practice.

She said: “I must express my upset, anger and frustration in the fact that I have undertaken this course in good faith with a reputable training company.

“The course cost a significant amount and I was under the impression that I had obtained the necessary qualifications to provide cosmetic laser teeth-whitening — sadly this was not the case.”

She added: “I urge the hundreds of others who have undertaken the same courses nationwide to suspend the services they are offering and contact the GDC for advice.”

Mrs Dibbo declined to name the provider of the train course she attended.