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A dentist is to be allowed to continue to practise despite the General Dental Council finding him guilty of misconduct.
In a three-day hearing, Simon John Alexander Moore, who has previously practised dentistry in both Borough Green and Sevenoaks, admitted 70 failings in his care of 15 patients across two years during 2016 and 2017.
A further three charges against him were found not proven, and one other was proven.
The conduct in question ranged from a failure to keep proper records, to a failure to carry out radiographs when necessary before treatment, a failure to carry out root canal treatment to an adequate standard and a failure to carry out bridge work to an adequate standard.
The committee concluded Moore's shortcomings "were repeated over a considerable period of time and across multiple patient cases and related to fundamental aspects of the practice of dentistry."
The committee concluded the failures amounted to misconduct.
However, the General Dental Council determined that although Moore's standard of work had fallen below what was required, it was not so serious that he couldn't remediate his faults.
Moore provided evidence to show he had been busy doing just that.
He provided a personal development plan covering a five-year period from 2018 to 2023; logs and certificates of continuing professional development and more recent audits of his clinical practice, including audits of record-keeping, radiographic practice and endodontic care.
He also provided patient surveys and testimonial letters from patients and colleagues.
The committee told him: "We found you to be open and honest. You gave evidence in a clear, considered, reflective and often self-critical manner, making concessions when you considered it appropriate to do so."
It concluded his fitness to practice was no longer impaired.
The conclusion was reached despite Moore having already appeared before the General Dental Council in 2016.
On that occasion he admitted 79 failures involving 12 patients over a four-year period from 2008 until 2014, including failing to keep proper records, failure to take radiographs where appropriate and failure to provide timely treatment for caries.
The council then had ruled that his failings were not so serious as to constitute misconduct or so serious that they couldn't be rectified.
At the 2016 hearing Moore had also presented the council with evidence of his retraining and expressed ‘sadness’ and ‘shame.’
The committee then had concluded that: "It was highly unlikely that these deficiencies will be repeated."
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