Dentists in Ontario, Canada, who have been treating their spouses are calling for the repeal of a "stupid" law that forbids health professionals from having sex with their patients, according to a story in the Toronto Star.
Many dentists are secretly flouting the sexual abuse provisions of the 1993 Regulated Health Professions Act, which were included because of abuse by some psychiatrists and psychologists, according to the Ontario Dental Association (ODA). Since the law also applies to dentists, the ODA warned its members that the ruling could mean that dentists who treat their partners could lose their license for five years.
Dentists successfully lobbied for an exemption in 1995 -- giving them permission to treat spouses and partners -- but last year the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in a case involving a chiropractor that the province's Regulated Health Professions Act makes it clear that health professionals cannot have sex with their patients.
The court's decision leaves dentists in "legal limbo," according to the Star.
Randy Lang, DDS, offered tongue-in-cheek tips to dentists who want to continue treating their partners in an article last September in Oral Health Journal.
"Have your spouse wear a disguise, like a moustache and beard, when she or he enters and exits your dental office. And make sure all appointments are done late at night under cover of darkness. Also, at home, be sure to lock your bedroom door and cover all the windows with black paper," Dr. Lang advised.
Or dentists could move to another province that doesn't have such laws, he said.
Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews, PhD, has agreed to review the restriction.
