A modern, professional dentist's office with a chair and equipment
The case in Czechia highlights the profound dangers of unregulated medical services.

Fake it till you make it—or perhaps not, in this case.

Nobody likes going to the dentist, but at least there's a high chance that whoever is working on your teeth is actually qualified. This was not the case for the unlucky few in Havlíčkův Brod, Czechia, who were duped by a fake dentist with zero training.

Many remain worried about the rise of artificial intelligence in the medical field, as advanced AI tools seem capable of completing tasks that humans have trained for decades to perfect. Yet, despite this threat of automation, one man managed to jump the queue and offer his own dental services with no professional qualifications. It was only when his worrying Google searches were exposed that things began to fall apart.

What was the fake dentist doing?

As reported by the BBC, a 22-year-old and two assistants have now been arrested and charged by Czech police after treating 'dozens' of patients despite having no professional knowledge and experience in dentistry.

A medical professional looking at data on a computer screen in a lab
The imposter performed complex tasks, including root canals, based on information from internet searches.

It is alleged that the primary culprit found all the necessary information on the internet, which allowed him to extract teeth, apply anaesthesia, and even perform complex root canals on patients that were none the wiser.

"A 22-year-old man posed as a dentist, although he lacked the necessary professional knowledge," outlined officials. It remains shocking how long the operation was maintained while relying exclusively on information from Google and the internet at large.

Key to the scam was one of the nurses, a 50-year-old woman, who seemingly provided the necessary apparatus to complete many of the tasks. "The woman who worked in the health sector, provided anaesthetics but also other dental material to which she had access, such as fillings, cleaning powder, glue, impression material and much more," indicated the police.

How long was the dentist operating for?

Police have also outlined that the dentist managed to earn around four million Czech koruna before being caught, which equates to around $185,500. The trio have also been charged with money laundering, drug dealing, attempted assault, and theft.

A stack of Czech Koruna banknotes
Roughly $185,500 was earned by the trio across two years before they were caught.

The illegal operation was maintained for over two years before being caught, and they now face up to eight years in prison as all three pleaded guilty across the numerous charges.

This is seemingly not a rare occurrence in Czechia. Roman Šmucler, president of the Czech dental chamber, has outlined that cases like this happen on average around 10 times every single year across the country.