Dentist disqualified for professional misconduct

25 Oct 2022

A former registered Victorian dentist has been reprimanded and disqualified from applying for registration until April 2023 for professional misconduct.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative tribunal (the tribunal) has found Dr Munawar Hussain’s conduct to be inconsistent with him being a fit and proper person to hold registration in the dental profession. This finding was made by the tribunal in two parts, after seven allegations about Dr Hussain’s conduct were brought to the Dental Board of Australia (the Board) in August 2019.

Six of the seven allegations related to Dr Hussain’s treatment of five patients and involved:

• substandard pre-operative and intra-operative dental treatment including failing to obtain informed consent
• inappropriate billing practices
• failing to refer to specialists and/or practising outside the scope of knowledge, skills and experience
• failing to keep proper clinical records, and
• giving false and/or misleading information to the Board.

The seventh allegation related to a performance assessment conducted in March 2017 that showed substandard clinical knowledge, skills and performance.

The tribunal delivered its part one decision on 2 May 2022, and part two on 24 August 2022. The tribunal ordered that Dr Munawar be reprimanded and disqualified from applying for registration until 6 April 2023.

In making its decision, the tribunal took into account that Dr Hussain has not practised as a dentist for several years after surrendering his registration on 6 April 2017 following a notice of proposed immediate action from the Board.

The tribunal noted that Dr Hussain will have been out of practice for six years before he will be able to apply for registration and that it will then be a matter for the Board to determine whether he should be granted registration.

Part one and part two of the decision are available on the Austlii website.