W5 Episode Regarding Complaints

As you may be aware, last evening CTV’s W5 aired a segment regarding Dr. Erroll Gaum. It also focused on the perceived failure of the PDBNS in the matter and its handling of complaints in general.

For obvious reasons, I cannot comment on allegations in a particular case which is under investigation. I can say in general terms, however, that all licensed dentists in Nova Scotia are expected to provide care which meets current standards of practice. All formal complaints received by the PDBNS, which may involve allegations of a dentist failing to meet one or more of those standards, are investigated and brought before the Complaints Committee. The mandate of the Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia is to protect the public in matters related to dentistry, something which all Board and Committee members take very seriously.

The W5 segment contained inaccurate and unsubstantiated allegations regarding the PDBNS’ handling of formal complaints, past and present. It also failed to accurately reflect the breadth and volume of information we provided the show’s producer over the course of 3 weeks, an effort that took a tremendous investment of time and resources.

The W5 show did, however, point to certain outdated aspects of the 1992 Dental Act and its regulations. Coincidentally, government has very recently reignited the process that will see the modernization of the legislation and regulations governing dentistry. We fully expect that under the updated legislation all our processes will further align with current regulatory practices, and we look forward to moving ahead with this project. We expect to be able to share more information about this in the spring.

A more fulsome statement from the PDBNS regarding the matter of complaints against Dr. Gaum can be found in a piece the PDBNS published on Friday on the Halifax Chronicle Herald website.

Sincerely,

Dr. Doug Mackey, Registrar