Backstreet dentist fined $2000

Rong Fang Zhang's patients were treated in a recliner lounge chair at her Mt Roskill home.

An unregistered dentist practised her trade in unhygienic conditions from a private home in Auckland for at least 10 years before authorities closed her down.

Rong Fang Zhang undercut the prices of registered dentists and attracted more than 1000 mainly Chinese clients by word of mouth.

She carried out root canals, fillings and extractions with her patients seated in a recliner lounge chair at her Mt Roskill home.

Health officials found that Zhang did not have any sterilising equipment and she reused needles.

Health authorities have contacted 1190 patients who were put at risk of blood-borne infections and advised them to visit a doctor for tests and counselling.

Zhang was last week convicted of unlawfully practising dentistry and fined $2000 plus $750 costs.

An investigation by the Ministry of Health was apparently sparked by a former patient.

The ministry had been aware of an unregistered dentist practising, but had no leads to find Zhang, who is aged in her late 40s.

Auckland medical officer of health Greg Simmons said she had kept "very fastidious" notes dating back to 1995. Her records also gave payment details that suggested she had been heavily under-cutting registered dentists.

Zhang trained in China but was not registered to practise in New Zealand.

Dr Simmons said translators were used to ring Zhang's patients, and some were traced to Australia and China.

Dr Simmons, who interviewed Zhang, said she realised her business was illegal but did not think she had done anything wrong.

"Her clients did not believe she had done very much wrong either, and [thought] that her standards of practice were on a par with those in China," he said.

Dr Simmons said Zhang did not think her infection-control procedures were inadequate, "but I did".

He understood some patients visited other dentists after seeing Zhang to have her work fixed.