A dental hygienist in Ontario who lost his licence for treating his wife’s teeth is appealing to the public after losing his bid to have his punishment overturned.
“I want people, everybody that’s looking at me right now, including the [College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario] and including the government of Ontario, I want them to know what kind of person I am,” Alexandru Tanase told Global News.
“I’m fighting for over 14,000 dental hygienists in Ontario that can’t provide and want to provide care for their spouse.”
Earlier in September, Ontario’s Divisional Court released its decision to uphold the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario’s (CDHO) discipline committee’s decision to revoke Tanase’s licence after he treated his wife’s teeth.
In Ontario, it’s considered professional misconduct if a dental hygienist has “sexually abused a patient.” According to the Regulated Health Professions Act, sexual abuse includes any sexual intercourse or other types of sexual relations.
Consent is irrelevant, and a spouse is included in the definition of a patient.
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“There is a mandatory revocation of a professional’s licence for a finding of sexual abuse,” said Neil Abramson, head of Torkin Manes’ litigation department and a specialist in defending health professionals.
The CDHO council approved a regulation to exempt spouses from the sexual abuse provisions in 2015, but it hasn’t been passed as law yet in Ontario.
“The College of Dental Hygienists have, for some time, had a regulation, which they are seeking the government’s approval about, but they don’t have it yet,” Abramson said.
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