Dentists to protest nuclear bill today

Radioactive tool penalties ‘too high’

A network of dentists will submit a letter to the government today demanding it remove a clause in the nuclear bill requiring that radioactive tools for dental activities be registered with the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The clause is unnecessary as all radioactive devices for dentistry must already be registered with the Ministry of Public Health’s the Department of Medical Sciences, the group said, adding the clause does not benefit dentists or patients and should be scrapped.

It said it plans to conduct an on-site protest at Government House led by Somrit Jirojvanichakorn, president of the Southern Dentist Network.

Under the existing law, dentists who fail to register radioactive devices face a range of penalties from a simple warning to having their clinic closed, he said.

Safety standards must also conform to those worked out by the ministry.

But fears have been stoked as the new clause includes fines of up to 500,000 baht, a jail term of up to five years, or both.

Dr Somrit said dental clinics would face increased pressure under the bill as it requires a Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) to take care of any machines that produce radiation.

The officer must be trained and pass a gruelling exam.

Those who fail to hire an RSO could be fined up to 200,000 baht, face two years in jail, or both.

The bill treats dentists as RSOs but this is unfair in some cases, especially regarding dental assistants as their work rarely if ever involves radioactive tools, he said.

“I don’t see a reason to i nclude dental devices under the nuclear bill, as it is designed for the safe management of nuclear power plants and radioactive waste,” he said.

He said the penalties do not match the offence as the punishment is severe but the potential harm to the public very low.

The amount of radiation emitted in dentistry is relatively small, he added.

In a previous protest over the bill last November, dentists argued the criteria involving the machines should not be based on the degree of harmful radiation they produce, but the duration of the operation which normally takes only 0.2 seconds at a time at dental clinics.

However, the Dental Council is refusing to support the disgruntled group of dentists.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has acknowledged the problem with the bill and is engaged in the process of amending it, the council said. Such a protest is unnecessary and transgresses a law prohibiting public gatherings, it added.

Dr Paisal Kangwolkij, chairman of the Dental Council, said he expects the two ministries will continue talks and hammer out a result satisfactory for all sides.

Dentists will not be affected by the new law recognising them as RSOs, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.

The bill is designed to make the use of radioactive machines safer by bringing the country in line with international practices, it added.