THE CONVICTION of a Cork dentist on a charge of sexually assaulting a trainee dental nurse at his practice is likely to be referred to the Irish Dental Council's Fitness to Practise Committee for consideration, The Irish Timeshas learned.
John Tait of Glen House, Upper Rochestown, Cork, was convicted by Judge Tim Lucey at Cork District Court last month on a single charge of sexually assaulting a trainee dental nurse working at his practice in June 2008.
The nurse, who said after the case that she was pleased that Tait was being named by the media, told the court how Tait had opened the buttons on her nurse’s tunic to expose her bra-covered breasts despite asking him to stop after he opened the first two buttons.
Tait had admitted opening the buttons on the young woman’s tunic but had denied that there was any sexual motive behind his actions, saying that it was simply to check the buttons on the tunic, but Judge Lucey said he believed the action was a sexually motivated one.
David O’Flynn, the dental council’s acting chief officer, declined to comment specifically on the case but did outline the council’s general position in relation to a dentist’s fitness to practise.
In a written reply to a series of questions posed by The Irish Times, Mr O'Flynn said that the conviction of any dentist on a criminal charge is "of interest and concern to the dental council and is likely to be referred to the fitness to practise committee for consideration".
Mr O’Flynn further explained in his written response that there was no provision under the Dentist Act 1985 to “automatically remove or suspend a dentist from the register as a result of a criminal conviction”.
According to Mr O’Flynn, either the dental council or a member of the public can apply to the fitness to the practise committee to hold an inquiry into the fitness of a registered dentist to practise dentistry.
