A former employee of the Greenwoods Dental Clinic in Prince Rupert has been charged with pretending to be a dental hygienist without any relevant qualifications.
Emmanuel Osaseri, 22, faces two charges and is currently at large across B.C., say Saanich Police who believe he may breach his release order, which includes staying away from dental practices unless as a patient.
Osaseri was charged by the BC Prosecution Service with personation with intent to gain advantage and fraud under $5,000 on Jan. 10.
Suspicions were raised on Vancouver Island after numerous complaints regarding Osaseri’s work quality, according to Saanich police spokesperson Sgt. Damian Kowalewich.
“In early January 2024, Saanich Police received information about some suspicious activity involving an individual acting in the role of a dental hygienist. The individual’s work product particularly brought the complainants attention,” Kowalewich said.
“The individual was identified as Emmanuel Osaseri. His work product was not consistent with industry standards in the dental hygienist rules and responsibilities. Our major crime unit worked in partnership with the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals to determine the legitimacy or not of Mr. Osaseri, and we acted swiftly in an attempt to prevent Mr. Osaseri from providing further dental treatment to the public.”
Kowalewich confirmed that Osaseri took on another identity and he may have been impersonating a female while he was fraudulently working in the dental industry on Vancouver Island.
According to Dr. Dheeraj Mittal, head dentist at the Greenwoods Dental Clinic, Osaseri only worked at the clinic in Prince Rupert for around 10 business days in September 2023, and was fired after the practice found he had no qualifications.
Numerous red flags were raised during Osaseri’s short time at Greenwoods, according to Dr. Mittal, including arriving late and complaints from patients of a lack of professionalism, similar to the complaints raised to Saanich Police.
Dr. Mittal said Osaseri sent a falsified certificate and a fake licence number during Osaseri’s application to fill the clinic’s vacant dental hygienist position. According to Dr. Mittal, Osaseri applied to the position with his own name.
“We feel very troubled that we have been victimized,” Dr. Mittal said in an interview with The Northern View.
“It has taught me a very big lesson.”
A lawsuit against Osaseri was commenced by Dr. Mittal and his practice in November 2023, according to the BC Court Services.
According to Dr. Mittal, it is not unusual for dental professionals to have to wait for their certificate to be processed after changing provinces, which was why he believed Osaseri’s story. Dr. Mittal said Osaseri told him that he was relocating from Regina, Saskatchewan, for the dental hygienist position.
The BC College of Oral Health Professionals released a statement on Jan. 11 confirming that Osaseri has never been a registered dental professional.
“Emmanuel Osaseri has never registered with the BC College of Oral Health Professionals (BCCOHP) and is not authorized to practise as a dental hygienist in this province,” the Jan. 11 advisory read.
The BCCOHP has a public registry that lists registered dental professionals in the province, which can be accessed by the public.
“Employers are responsible for ensuring that all the oral health care professionals they hire are registered/certified with BCCOHP. They also need to be confident that anyone they refer patients to for care has been granted the authority to provide that care,” said Dr. Chris Hacker, Registrar and CEO of the BCCOHP.
Dr. Mittal said he is offering free dental care to any clients who were worked on by Osaseri during his time at Greenwoods.
Osaseri did not respond to numerous attempts by The Northern View to contact him through multiple platforms.
Saanich Police is asking anyone with information on Osaseri to contact them at 250-475-4321.
READ MORE: UPDATE: 3 dead after ski adventure helicopter crashes north of Terrace