Police Bust Five Illegal Medical Clinics, Arrest Five
Authorities arrested five unlicensed medical and dental practitioners operating from homes across three provinces, seizing over 1,000 medical items worth 330,000 baht. The suspects, including a woman who learned dentistry from YouTube video
Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), together with the Samut Sakhon Provincial Public Health Office, has arrested five people accused of illegally practising medicine and dentistry at five locations in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon.
The operation resulted in the arrest of four people accused of practising dentistry without licences and one person accused of practising medicine without a licence. Authorities seized 56 types of medical materials and equipment, totalling more than 1,058 items and worth over 330,000 baht.
The investigation began after the Consumer Protection Police Division received a complaint from the Samut Sakhon Provincial Public Health Office and tips from members of the public about people allegedly providing dental services without authorisation.
The suspects were reportedly offering dentures, retainers and cosmetic braces to customers, often arranging appointments at their homes. On 13 August, officers searched a house in Tha Mai subdistrict, Krathum Baen district, Samut Sakhon, where they found a 30-year-old woman identified as Thanyaporn preparing equipment for braces and treating a customer.
Officers reportedly found her putting a mouth retractor in the customer's mouth and applying an etching solution as part of a cosmetic braces procedure. Thanyaporn allegedly had no dental licence, while the premises had no licence to operate a medical facility.
She reportedly told investigators that she had completed Grade 9 and learned dental procedures herself through YouTube videos. After practising on herself, she believed she had acquired enough skills to take customers. She had allegedly been providing mostly cosmetic braces for about a year, charging from 1,300 baht per service and earning around 15,000 baht a month through Facebook, Line and word of mouth.
On the same day, officers searched another house in Tha Sao subdistrict, Krathum Baen district, where they found a 61-year-old man identified as Somchai allegedly taking a dental impression from a customer to make dentures. Somchai reportedly had no dental licence and the premises were not licensed as a medical facility.
He told officers that he had completed Grade 3 and began working at a dental laboratory at the age of 16. He said he had worked there for more than 10 years before returning home and running his own operation for more than 30 years.
He reportedly received denture-making work from medical facilities in Samut Sakhon and neighbouring provinces, while occasionally accepting direct orders from local residents. He said he earned around 40,000-50,000 baht a month.
A third search in Suan Luang subdistrict, Krathum Baen district, found a 44-year-old woman identified as Saifon allegedly placing dental impression trays into a customer's mouth to make upper and lower dental impressions for retainers. She reportedly had no dental licence and the premises were not licensed to operate as a medical facility.
