In the newsMedia report · 23 Sept 2026
An HK01 reporter with a sideways wisdom tooth close to the nerve visited three Shenzhen clinics; all three dentists advised taking it out on the spot. The full recommended treatment was quoted at about HK$22,000 in Hong Kong and about HK$6,000–9,600 in Shenzhen, and the clinics disagreed on whether root canal treatment was needed. A former Hong Kong Dental Association president said the proper approach is to explain the steps, recovery and wound care first, then let the patient go away and decide.
In the newsMedia report · 19 Sept 2026
According to U Lifestyle, TVB's consumer show interviewed several patients of the same local dental clinic. An older patient paid about HK$150,000 for seven implants; months later, severe pain and an X-ray showed a broken, displaced screw connecting implant and crown, which needed surgery to remove. Another paid HK$45,000 for "full-mouth" braces but only the lower teeth were treated; she was told to have veneers on the upper teeth and then could not reach the clinic. After the show played a recorded call, the clinic refunded the HK$45,000 the next day. These are complaints made on the programme; no authority has ruled on them.
In the newsMedia report · 23 Jul 2026
Police and the Department of Health searched a Hong Kong "consultation office" run by a mainland dental chain on King's Road, North Point, and arrested a 72-year-old local man on suspicion of practising dentistry illegally. He is reportedly not a registered dentist and is suspected of examining people's mouths with dental tools. A suspected intraoral scanner, a dental chair, instruments and a price list in RMB were seized. Under the Dentists Registration Ordinance, unlicensed practice carries up to five years in prison, or seven if a patient is injured; employers of unlicensed staff face up to three years. The case is under investigation and no one has been convicted.
In the newsMedia report · 22 Jul 2026
According to The Collective, a woman in her 60s had been told by a Hong Kong dentist that her jawbone was too narrow for implants. She went to a Shenzhen clinic, paid RMB 2,000 for a surgical guide, and at a later visit was asked to pay RMB 20,000 as the plan grew from one implant to six, which she says she did not properly agree to. Afterwards her face was numb and swollen; after two corrective operations at a Hong Kong dental hospital she was diagnosed with nerve damage. She can no longer wear dentures and cuts food with scissors. The clinic reportedly refused compensation, saying the surgery succeeded and no nerve was involved.
In the newsMedia report · 22 Jul 2026
The Department of Health and the Health Bureau said unlicensed dental practice is a criminal offence and that employers who hire unlicensed people for dental work also commit an offence. Since early last year, the department and police have carried out 13 joint operations and prosecuted seven people; from 2021 to 2025, 20 cases were prosecuted under the Dentists Registration Ordinance, with 19 convictions. Dental services outside Hong Kong are not regulated by local law, but adverts published in Hong Kong must follow the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance.
RTHK (Department of Health / Health Bureau)
In the newsMedia report · 12 May 2026
According to Sing Tao, a Hong Kong woman posted on Threads that she had a wisdom tooth removed at a Shenzhen clinic on 7 May for about RMB 783 including medicine, plus about RMB 231 for a CT scan. Over the next days her face swelled, her throat hurt, she could not open her mouth and the wound smelled. Diagnosed in Shenzhen with a submandibular space infection and put on a drip, she did not improve, had difficulty breathing on returning to Hong Kong and was admitted to a surgical ward via A&E. The report carried no response from the clinic.
In the newsMedia report · 28 Jan 2026
The Department of Health said a contract trainee dentist is suspected of using the school dental clinical system and eHealth to view the records of 16 people who were not his patients. It came to light when a member of the public queried an eHealth access notification. The department suspended the trainee, referred the case for criminal investigation, notified the Privacy Commissioner, the eHealth Records Commissioner and the Dental Council, and will review system security and training.
Sing Tao Headline (Department of Health)