MEDICAL watchdog AHPRA has called on residents treated by former Kalamunda dentist Peter Terzi since February 26 to speak up and report to AHPRA’s criminal offences unit.

In a first ever public statement made by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) in the interest of public safety, the agency named Peter Terzi, also known as Peter Taylor, who AHPRA said they believed posed a serious risk to people because of his conduct.

Dr Terzi first had his dental registration suspended by AHPRA on March 8, 2024 with the Terzi Dental practice placing a job advertisement for a dental associate with an immediate start to “pick up a full book of patients while the dentist recovers from a hand injury”, as reported in Registration suspended for Kalamunda dentist (Echo News, March 15, 2024).

Weeks after his dental registration was suspended, Dr Terzi also had his nursing registration suspended by AHPRA as reported in Nursing rego suspended for Kalamunda dentist (Echo News, March 28, 2024).

Dr Terzi’s dental license was reinstated with strict conditions as reported in Kalamunda dentist has registration reinstated (Echo News, May 10, 2024) but was resuspended from practising dentistry and nursing since February 26 this year.

A former patient who spoke to Echo News on Wednesday said a general dental visit ended up costing her thousands of dollars out of pocket following an incomplete Invisalign procedure initiated by Dr Terzi.

“(Dr Terzi) said that I needed a bottom tooth pulled out and the best way would be to pull it out and then do Invisalign to close the gap,” she said.

“He recommended that I do Invisalign and that I needed the top tier Invisalign which was $7500.

“I didn’t really know a lot about it and obviously as a young mum I didn’t want to (have) a missing tooth, so I was like okay we’ll do whatever we need to do.

“We were going through it actually and we had a lot of other medical bills at the time, so we didn’t really have the money, but my husband made it work.”

The patient said it was after she sent in scans of her teeth that she discovered Dr Terzi had been suspended.

“I sent my scan in and the message I got back just said, ‘Oh, we can no longer follow your process – please just wear all your aligners until they’re done’,” she said.

Now $7500 out of pocket, the resident said she’s been left in limbo without practical solutions after attempting to contact AHPRA prior to the public announcement.

“They just told me there was nothing they can do at all and they wouldn’t give me any information about why he was suspended either,” she said.

“I feel like I should have been informed when he got put on restricted duties because I took my daughter in there with me and it would be nice for me to know and then it would have been my choice to put her in that environment or not.”

An AHPRA spokesperson said the agency was only able to provide general advice at this time and not in relation to a particular investigation or individual.

“You can check the register of practitioners (on the AHPRA website) to make sure your practitioner is registered and also see if there are any current conditions on their registration,” they said.

Anyone who suspects they may have received treatment from or employed Dr Terzi, or who has information that he has claimed to be a dentist or a nurse since February 26, is urged to contact AHPRA’s Criminal Offences Unit on (07) 3149 4771 or by email to criminal.offences@ahpra.gov.au

Any Kalamunda, Mundaring or Swan residents who have been treated by Dr Terzi since February 26 may also contact Echo News via email at guanhao.cheng@echo-news.com