A former patient of Narayan Prasad told the court how he had failed to make the connection that her disintegrating jawbone was the result of diabetes. Photo / 123RF
A former patient of Narayan Prasad told the court how he had failed to make the connection that her disintegrating jawbone was the result of diabetes. Photo / 123RF
A man treated by an imposter dentist described his encounters as “bizarre and unusual,” saying he questioned whether the person drilling his teeth knew what he was doing.
The patient’s doubts increased when he was asked by Narayan Prasad to hold the dental vacuum inhis mouth during treatment, and then again when all his fillings fell out.
The man was one of about 500 people treated by Prasad while he was practising as a dentist without the required registration or qualifications at his since-closed Hill Park dental clinic in Henderson.
He also used an X-ray machine at least 19 times without a licence.
Prasad was sentenced on Ministry of Health charges linked to him operating as an unlicensed dentist in March, but details of what happened weren’t able to be reported on until now.
Fillings all fell out
According to sentencing notes, the patient was one of five people who provided victim impact statements for the sentencing.
One described how Prasad had failed to make the connection that her disintegrating jawbone was the result of diabetes.
Another had had a root canal, but then needed his tooth replaced because of the poor preparation, while another patient’s fillings all fell out.
Unlicensed dentist Narayan Prasad was sentenced in the Waitākere District Court after performing dental procedures on about 500 patients.
“That could not have been a pleasant experience,” Judge Terence Singh said during sentencing in the Waitākere District Court.
Prasad was the sole director and shareholder of the Henderson dental practice.
Judge Singh said an aggravating feature was that he willingly saw and treated patients who believed he was a registered dentist.
“This was not just a momentary wrong but a sustained course of conduct,” he said.
Judge Singh said the risk posed to public health and the abuse of trust were “significant factors”.
He said in the three years ending in September 2022 Prasad repeatedly implied to patients that he was a dentist, performed dental procedures which only a dentist was authorised to perform, issued prescriptions and performed X-rays without the necessary use licence.
He admitted four representative charges of breaching the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act.
He also admitted three representative charges of performing dental procedures without being a health practitioner permitted to perform the activity, and one representative charge of forgery for issuing prescriptions which falsely listed a doctor as the issuer.
He also admitted a representative charge of performing X-rays without the necessary licence and one representative Crimes Act charge for failing to discharge a legal duty when providing surgical or medical treatment to a reasonable knowledge skill and care.
Prasad was sentenced to three months’ community detention when he faced fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison.
He had sought a discharge without conviction, which the prosecution opposed.
In declining the application, Judge Singh said the consequences of a conviction did not outweigh the gravity of the offending.
“In fact, there is a margin between the two in my view. I do not consider it a close thing.”
A gross breach of trust against the patients
Judge Singh said that in terms of type, circumstances and number of victims, a large number were under the impression that Prasad was a dentist who offered a variety of regulated treatments.
The patient whose fillings all fell out, considered Prasad’s actions were a “gross breach of trust against the patients and the wider public”.
He said the trust he had held for health professionals for many years was now “consigned to the past”.
The ministry said Prasad’s motivation was financial, not the care for his patients, who apparently had no other alternative at the time.
It said that initially, there was no reason to suggest that Prasad was not a registered dentist.
“He presented himself that way and there were GrabOne vouchers which would have had a sense of credibility about them for people that were obtaining them to have work done,” Judge Singh said.
The ministry asked the court to consider the offending as moderately serious, because it had included him impersonating a doctor to prescribe medication, thereby posing a risk to those patients.
Prasad received discount for his guilty pleas, remorse, his otherwise good character and community initiatives and donations.
Judge Singh also acknowledged the counselling he was receiving, and his declining health.
As well as community detention, Prasad was ordered to pay $15,950 in reparation to 28 victims.
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.
