THE Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) warned on Thursday, May 8, 2025, against fake dentists offering services, particularly in the Mindanao region.
In a press conference, PNP ACG director Brigadier General Bernard Yang said from March 12 to April 28, a total of 14 individuals had been arrested for offering dental services without proper authority.
Of the arrested individuals, five were in Davao City, two in Cotabato City, three in Zamboanga City, three in Davao del Norte and one in Zamboanga Sibugay province.
Yang said the arrested individuals were offering their illegal services online, luring victims with lower dental service prices.
For example, while legitimate dentists charge around P20,000 to P30,000 for braces installation, fake dentists offer the service for only P1,000.
Yang said most of the victims were students.
The recent arrest was conducted in a motel in Cotabato City on April 28, 2025, which resulted in the arrest of a 25-year-old male suspect.
During the entrapment operation, a police officer posed as a client seeking braces installation.
Yang said the suspect instructed the poseur client to go to the motel where the procedure will be conducted.
“So tayo ay nagsagawa ng entrapment operation at nahuli natin si alias Bart na ito ay kung babanggitin natin isang graduate ng ‘Youtube Academy.’ Kung makikita natin base sa report talagang wala (protective gears), even sa gloves wala hindi sila naglalagay. It’s very unhygienic,” he said.
(So we conducted an entrapment operation and arrested alias Bart, who, if we may mention, is a graduate of "YouTube Academy." As we can see from the report, there were really no protective gears, not even gloves—nothing at all. It’s very unhygienic.)
“Actually, marami nagbe-venture into this kind of illegal activity at nakita nila medyo lucrative itong illegal business na ito. In fact, ‘yung kapitbahay nito, ganun na rin ginagawa, mostly mga illegal na clinic. Meron tayong natanggap na report, although wala kaming official report na na-receive na meron na pong namatay doon sa area na yun dahil sa nagkaroon ng tetanus ‘yung biktima,” he added.
(Actually, many are venturing into this kind of illegal activity because they see that this illegal business is quite lucrative. In fact, even his neighbor is doing the same thing, mostly running illegal clinics. We have received a report, although we don’t have an official report confirming that someone has died in that area due to tetanus from the procedure.)
Yang urged the public to exercise caution when using online services.
He noted that serious risks posed by fake dentists include health complications, financial loss, the spread of infections, and long-term damage to one's teeth.
Yang urged the public to report those offering unauthorized dental services to the nearest ACG office for prompt and appropriate action. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)