The newly launched Greek digital monitoring system called MedWatch, has identified 119 cases involving dental practices advertising or offering Botox, hyaluronic acid and mesotherapy during its first 10 days of operation, raising concerns over medical procedures performed outside practitioners’ areas of speciality.
MedWatch has identified 119 cases involving Botox, hyaluronic acid and mesotherapy at dental practices during its first 10 days of operation, raising concerns over medical procedures offered outside practitioners’ specialties.
The findings place procedures carried out beyond a healthcare professional’s area of specialisation among the leading violations identified by the platform, with several cases involving dentists.
The issue has attracted particular attention because dentists may use Botox and hyaluronic acid under specific conditions, but not for purely cosmetic purposes.
What dentists can and cannot do
Athanasios Yfantis, president of the Dental Association of Attica, outlined the circumstances under which dentists can use the substances.
“For purely medical reasons, a dentist can use Botox and hyaluronic acid inside the oral cavity for therapeutic purposes and in the perioral area. Nowhere else, clearly,” Yfantis said.
The rules therefore do not give dentists unrestricted permission to offer cosmetic Botox or hyaluronic acid treatments.
50 dentists referred to ethics committee
The checks have already resulted in a significant number of cases.
This year alone, 50 cases involving dentists have been referred to the Ethics Committee of the Dental Association of Attica, as online advertising for beauty and aesthetic services creates an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
Authorities are urging the public to exercise caution, as online promotion can give the impression that a healthcare professional can provide services that actually fall outside their professional speciality.
Warning over how dental practices advertise
Yfantis also warned citizens to pay close attention to the type of premises where they seek treatment.
“There is no centre or clinic, there is no clinical dentistry. We only license dental practices and multi-dentist practices,” he said.
The advice is for patients to check who performs a medical or aesthetic procedure, where it takes place and under which professional speciality.
Changes to inspections planned
The Ministry of Health is also preparing changes to the way authorities inspect healthcare professionals.
A bill currently under consultation proposes changes to the composition of inspection committees within medical associations, with the aim of making inspections more effective.
The government expects Parliament to vote on the bill by November.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has announced a special committee to examine the regulatory framework for wellness services, seeking to establish clearer boundaries in a sector where healthcare, aesthetics and wellness services increasingly overlap.
