The Kenya Dental Association (KDA) expresses its profound concern and unequivocal condemnation of the reported publication by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) of a purported scope of practice that seeks to authorize persons who are not qualified dentists to provide dental care services.
The KDA considers this action to be unlawful, irrational, procedurally sickening and contrary to the Constitution, the Health Act, and the statutory mandate of the Council. Any attempt to expand clinical dental practice through administrative publications, rather than through lawful legislative and regulatory processes, is an abuse of statutory power and cannot confer legal authority where none exists.
The scope of clinical dental practice in Kenya is a matter of public safety. It cannot be altered through circulars, notices, or administrative publications that have neither been subjected to public participation nor developed through meaningful consultation with the dental profession and other affected stakeholders.
The publication exposes millions of Kenyans to the real risk of unsafe, substandard, and unregulated dental treatment. Patients have a constitutional right to the highest attainable standard of health, including access to safe, quality, and professionally regulated oral healthcare. Any regulatory action that dilutes professional standards places the public at unnecessary risk and undermines confidence in Kenya’s health regulatory framework.
The KDA further notes that professional regulation must be founded on evidence, lawful authority, competency-based training, and patient safety. Individuals who have not been trained and licensed as dentists cannot lawfully undertake procedures reserved for the practice of dentistry merely because a regulator has purported to redefine their scope through an administrative publication.
Of particular concern is the inclusion of complex dental procedures, outside the law and competency-based professional training:
- Root canal treatment (Endodontics)
- Orthodontic treatment (Orthodontics)
- Restorative dental treatments
- Prosthodontic treatment (Prosthodontics)
- Advanced dental surgeries
- Pharmacological prescriptions
- Paediatric dentistry care
These are advanced clinical procedures and interventions requiring the knowledge, competence and training of qualified dental practitioners and surgeons. Their purported inclusion through an administrative publication threatens patient safety, undermines professional standards, and exceeds the proper regulatory process.
We IMMEDIATELY DEMAND that KMPDC:
- Withdraws the impugned publication and licenses to quackery in dentistry.
- Suspends any implementation of the purported scope of practice into quackery in dentistry.
- Publish the expert reports, competency assessments, and stakeholder consultation documents relied upon in developing licenses to quackery in dentistry.
- Convenes an urgent stakeholder forum involving the dental profession, universities, professional associations and the Ministry of Health to stop quackery in dentistry.
Should the publication not be withdrawn forthwith, the Kenya Dental Association will pursue all available legal avenues to protect the public interest, uphold professional standards and ensure that the rule of law prevails, at the personal cost of all individuals out to abuse their office mandates and occasion Kenyans grievous bodily harm.
The regulation of healthcare professions exists primarily to protect patients — not to lower professional standards or legitimize unauthorized clinical practice. Patient safety, professional accountability and adherence to the law must remain the guiding principles of every regulatory decision.
The Kenya Dental Association remains committed to working with all stakeholders to strengthen oral healthcare in Kenya while ensuring that every person providing dental treatment possesses the qualifications, competence and legal authority required by law.
Issued on the 23rd of July, 2026 by the National Governing Council, Kenya Dental Association.
“Protecting Patients. Upholding Professional Standards. Defending the Rule of Law.”