Dentist who practiced during Covid-19 has registration cancelled

The dentist, who operated a dental surgery in Sydney’s west, has had his practice shut down after being found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct.

A dentist who breached Covid-19 restrictions during the peak of lockdown and once assaulted a police officer has had his registration cancelled after being found guilty of professional misconduct last week.

Victor Toan Tran, who had been operating a dental surgery in Sydney’s west, faced the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on January 8 after six complaints from the Health Care Complaints Commission were brought against him.

The tribunal found that between 2013 and 2021, while working and owning the dental practice at Villawood, Dr Tran had made a number of “unsatisfactory professional” breaches, including failing to tell the medical board he had assaulted a member of the police force during their line of duty.

The former website of the practice. The webpage has since been taken down. Picture: Supplied

Dr Tran pleaded guilty to the assault and was given a good behaviour bond for 12 months. No conviction was recorded.

The tribunal also found Dr Tran breached Covid-19 restrictions during March and April 2020 by performing non-urgent treatment, such as general oral examinations.

The tribunal also found Dr Tran failed to establish and implement “appropriate standards of hygiene, cleanliness and infection control in his dental practice”.

A former worker of Dr Tran complained to the Dental Council of NSW after arriving at the practice in September 2020 to find the rooms in “disgraceful” condition and extremely dirty.

A landlord said he was forced to evict Dr Tran due to unpaid rent, and upon entry, found “unexpired” medications which were up to 17 years old, piles of rubbish, used needles and rusty instruments left in the sink.

The Villawood dental surgery reception area which was previously pictured on the practice’s website. Picture: Supplied

The outside of the practice pictured on the former website.

“The condition has been so unhygienic to a level that the dental nurse we originally intended to engage would refuse to take the job of cleaning it up,” the complaint said.

“She honestly believed that the dentist shouldn’t be practicing, because if a patient has HIV, there would be a high chance of passing it on to the next patient.”

An owner of a neighbouring property also told the landlord that on many occasions Victor had put rubbish bags in the back in the common area, where “birds or cats rigged out the rubbish bags, needles with blood on it exposed”, the tribunal heard.

Dr Tran admitted to all six of the breaches, saying he did not mean to mislead the medical board.

“I have let down too many people and the dentistry professional organisation and most importantly, God’s grace given to me to be a Jesus Christ’s servant,” he told the tribunal.

Dr Tran’s registration as a dentist was cancelled by the tribunal. He is unable to make an application to review the order for a period of one year.

News.com.au has contacted Dr Tran for comment.