An Aberdeenshire dentist accused of botching procedures and leaving patients in months of pain could be barred from ever practising again.
Tobias Rinke, the former owner of Blairdaff Dental Practice in Inverurie, will appear before a General Dental Council panel in London next month.
The regulator has set out seven pages of charges against the 55-year-old, relating to the care of five patients between November 2015 and April 2017.
It follows a lengthy investigation into the dentist’s professional conduct, which was launched by the GDC in October 2017.
Dr Rinke allegedly failed to carry out full medical assessments before giving people dental implants, bridges and root canals – at times treating patients without conducting radiograph scans, mouth examinations or checking medical histories.
He is also accused of not telling patients about the risks and benefits of certain procedures and, on one occasion, not informing them of the cost.
The GDC said that, if the allegations are proved, they amount to the dentist having carried out treatments without patients’ valid consent.
During a follow-up with one individual, identified only as Patient A, its is said Dr Rinke did not notice that the bridge he had given her caused her to bite her cheek and affected her biting and speech.
The charges also allege that, when treating Patient C, he installed implants at such a poor angle that “an adequate restoration could not have been carried out”.
When the patients asked for a copy of their medical records, Dr Rinke allegedly re-wrote some of the entries and shredded others.
He is said to have handed over a USB stick with scanned copies of the hand-written documents, rather than the electronic versions, and the GDC has accused him of doing the same when it asked for the information as part of its investigation.
In its report, the GDC notes: “Your conduct was inappropriate (and) dishonest, in that your intention was to mislead.”
The report ends: “In consequence of the matters set out above, your fitness to practise is impaired by reason of your misconduct.”
Dr Rinke trained in dentistry at Hamburg University and graduated in 1992.
He previously owned Blairdaff Dental Practice but handed over the reins when he retired last June.
In addition to this, he was a director of mobile dentistry firms Doc Mobile and Offshore Emergency Dental Services Ltd, which have both been dissolved.
Last night Dr Rinke said: “It would be inappropriate to comment ahead of the hearing due to patient confidentiality.”
