A Jersey dentist has been formally warned by the profession’s watchdog after concerns were raised about how her expertise was being presented to potential patients online.

The case centred on a description used on the dentist’s practice website which the General Dental Council registrar alleged was “misleading and amounted to misconduct” – despite finding no evidence that she had put the information there herself.

Allegation of “misconduct”

According to the GDC’s written ruling, the practice’s website described Emma Charlotte Louise Barrett as a “skilled orthodontist”, despite her not being formally registered as a specialist in orthodontics.

“As she is not registered with the GDC as an expert in that field, the GDC registrar alleged that this was misleading and amounted to misconduct,” the written ruling explained.

The regulator stressed that there was no evidence Ms Barrett had personally caused the description to appear online – or even knew it was there before the GDC contacted her.

A “professional duty”

However, case examiners concluded that Ms Barrett still “had a professional duty to ensure that information published on her behalf was accurate”.

They referred to the regulator’s guidance on advertising and its Standards for the Dental Team when considering the case.

Those standards state that dental professionals “must make sure that any advertising, promotional material or other information that you produce is accurate and not misleading”.

The case examiners ultimately decided that a formal warning was the appropriate outcome.

“Risks to public confidence in the profession”

Explaining the decision, the GDC said: “This is so the registrant is fully aware of risks to public confidence in the profession, and to give her the opportunity to reflect further on how she conducts herself professionally.”

It added: “Publishing the warning will have the effect of highlighting to the wider profession that such conduct is unacceptable. This will in turn help protect the public and maintain public confidence in the profession.”

Ms Barrett has been registered as a dentist since July 1999 after qualifying with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Liverpool.

She remains registered to practise, but her status on the GDC register is currently shown as “registered with warning”.

The warning will remain published until 21 May 2027.

The regulator said Ms Barrett “must be careful to ensure that any information publicly available about her, in whatever format, is fully accurate”.

It added: “This is especially concerning her qualifications, specialisms, and services offered. This is to ensure that patients are not misled and to maintain confidence in the dental profession.”

The GDC also warned that the matter would remain part of Ms Barrett’s fitness-to-practise history even after the warning itself was no longer published.

It concluded: “Any further such concerns arising are likely to be taken seriously and to lead to the GDC taking further action.”