The increase in cases is causing concern in Belgium “fake-dentists” from Romaniaaccording to media reports.

In the last five years, there have been many scams in the country associated with foreign dentistsaccording to a report from the newspaper “De Standaard”.

The Flemish professional association of dentists notes that the problem mainly comes from private schools in Romania, where the diploma is obtained simply for payment.

According to Flemish professional association of dentistsin many cases dentists with a degree in Romania have virtually no knowledge of dentistry.

“When they come before the recognition committee, they can’t answer the simplest questions,” notes Frank Herebut, president of the Flemish dental professional association. At the same time, Frank Herebut talks about a large number of people from North Africa who have a Romanian diploma.

“We know private schools in Romania from which it is possible to graduate with pay“, he says.

Research by the National Institute for Sickness and Disability Insurance (Het Rijksinstituut voor Ziekte-en Invaliditeitsverzekering) revealed that at least 27 cases of “deliberate fraud” have been detected in the past five years. In its report, the RIZIV states at the same time that “not all cases with indications of fraud are investigated”.

For her part, the Flemish Minister of Health Hilde Kravitz speaks of a “worrying sign”, while the office of the Federal Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health Frank Vandenbroucke contacted the Romanian authorities to examine how they control her quality of diplomas of dentists. “The discussions were constructive. Solutions are being considered to ensure the quality and authenticity of dental degrees,” the minister said.