Clinicians known as “The Twin Dentists” on social media and their staff at a U.K. dental practice allegedly mocked patients and used derogatory language in the workplace, according to a story published November 13 on LBC.
A whistleblower claims that Hassan and Hussein Dalghous, the founders of Smile White in the U.K., who have more than 4.3 million likes on their “The Twin Dentists” TikTok profile and hundreds of thousands of followers across social media, made disparaging comments about Black people in a management group chat.
Additionally, other staff members allegedly shared patient photos with employees, ridiculed patients’ weight, and used a slur that refers to someone with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a group chat, according to the story.
In response to the leaks, the twins said they regret using the inappropriate language and their words aren’t indicative of their character. Also, Smile White’s parent company, YDS Group, said the leaked messages were contrary to the company’s culture.
Leaked screenshots of a management group chat showed that Hussein Dalghous used the term “Unicef” as code for “Africans that can’t afford treatment.” A former senior manager at Smile White alleged the Dalghous twins used the term to refer to patients with African-sounding names, according to the story.
Also, whistleblowers claim the culture at the company was toxic. Some of the accusations include staff sharing patient photos, which were mocked, in a sales group chat that included about 50 employees.
In these chats, a Black woman was compared to a hippopotamus, and an Asian man was compared to an Oompa Loompa, a fictional little person from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” These chats were reportedly overseen by the twins’ brother Ali, according to the story.
Nick Smith, a former Smile White salesperson, claimed he reported the messages to human resources but was paid money to keep them confidential once he decided to leave the company. Smith said he chose to blow the whistle after his former colleagues told him that the behavior continued after he left.
YDS Group stated that they have reported Smith’s conduct to police, according to the story.
