Until last week, Dr Andreia Funico had a significant social media presence. On any of her numerous accounts you could easily find multiple photos of the 44-year-old from Lisbon in Portugal busy at work.
She appeared to be the consummate professional orthodontist, frequently pictured with smiling patients and colleagues.
Yet within days of receiving contact from RTÉ Investigates her profiles suddenly went private.
Now what you will find when you search Dr Funico's name online is a warning from the Dental Council of Ireland. The brief notice is an indication of her repeated run-ins with regulators here and abroad.
It dates from 15 June last, when she undertook to never again practice dentistry in Ireland.
Her problems began almost two years before, in late 2021. That November she took up employment at Dental Options in Clane, Co Kildare. She began flying into Ireland most weekends, and eventually worked for ten months in the practice. It is advertised as one of Ireland’s leading practices in general, cosmetic, and orthodontic dentistry.
Each week, Dr Funico worked on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays, treating scores of patients and becoming an established member of the Clane team.
But all was not as it seemed.
While Dr Funico is a qualified dentist and orthodontist in Portugal, she was not registered to work as a dentist in Ireland. Purporting to be a dentist without being registered with the Dental Council of Ireland is a criminal offence.
"Otherwise, it’d be the wild west – anyone could come along and describe themselves as a dentist or orthodontist," Senior Counsel, Dr Ciarán Craven told RTÉ Investigates. "It’s about protecting the public," he added.
The Dental Council said Dr Andreia Funico sought to register with it four times since March 2015 but on each of the first three occasions, for unknown reasons, she withdrew her application.
In September 2022, when Dental Options said it learned Dr Funico was not registered to practice, it terminated her contract of employment.
Yet Dental Options did not report Dr Funico to the Dental Council.
Registered dentists in Ireland are obliged to report illegal practice to the Dental Council so that patients are not put at risk. A failure to pass on such information, the Council told RTÉ, "would be of concern."
When asked about this by RTÉ Investigates, Director of Dental Options Dr Barry Buckley, said he believed Dr Funico had returned to Portugal.
Dr Funico had, however, gone on to work elsewhere as a dentist despite not being registered with the Dental Council.
This time she worked at Drumcondra Dental and Orthodontics on the northside of the city.
RTÉ Investigates obtained a copy of the CV Dr Funico personally delivered to Drumcondra Dental and Orthodontics. In the cover letter she stated she had full availability to work on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings, while waiting "to receive my IDC [Irish Dental Council] number."
The reference should have rung alarm bells, but Dr Funico was instead hired, beginning work in late October 2022.
RTÉ Investigates put questions about the process used to employ Dr Funico while unregistered to the owner of Drumcondra Dental and Orthodontics, Ms Nino Bazadze. Despite repeated attempts to get a response, none was forthcoming.
RTÉ is aware that while looking for work in Ireland Dr Funico used the name of another registered orthodontist currently working in Dublin. She also circulated false documentation, including paperwork purporting to be from the Portuguese Dental Association, and a fake certificate of registration from the Dental Council of Ireland.
RTÉ Investigates understands the Dental Council first started receiving complaints about Dr Funico as far back as the autumn of 2022. It would, however, be some seven more months before it acted, and she agreed never again to practice in Ireland.
The Dental Council said the delay between complaints being received and the undertaking being obtained from Dr Funico was necessary to establish the details of the case. In the meantime, Dr Funico continued working while unregistered in Ireland – including at yet another practice in Dublin city centre. She was also advertising her services as a dentist in Ireland on social media.
"Sometimes these things actually do take some time, but it is undoubtedly the case that any period of delay does extend the period for which the public continued to be at risk," Dr Craven SC said.
The Dental Council’s Code of Practice states when a registered dentist employs another dentist, they must ensure that dentist has adequate insurance cover in place.
"Indemnity only applies when the person is actually registered with the local regulator. What essentially that means is that if a person is injured during the course of treatment and there’s no professional indemnity insurer, then the individual will be personally liable. Or indeed in some circumstances the employing dentist could potentially also be liable," Dr Craven SC said.
The same applies regarding registration and a registered dentist is obliged to confirm any dentist it employs is registered and remains so throughout their period of employment.
To obtain registration applicants must be proficient in English. That requirement was introduced in 2018 in recognition of the fact clear communication is essential in clinical practice. However, RTÉ Investigates understands that Dr Funico repeatedly failed various English exams she sat here.
The Council’s Code of Practice says an employer who, for any reason, is not able to confirm a dentist’s registration status should not employ that dentist until such time as their registration has been fully established.
RTÉ Investigates also asked Dental Options what checks it conducted on Dr Funico prior to hiring her. Director Dr Barry Buckley said they checked her references, including her credentials with the university she attended in Portugal, which confirmed her qualifications as a dentist and orthodontist.
He said that Dr Funico had falsely represented to Dental Options that she was registered with the Dental Council of Ireland.
"When we first reviewed Dr Funico’s CV, the online list of registered dentists with the Dental Council was not kept up-to-date due to a backlog in their workload," Dr Buckley said. "So it was not possible to check the registration online."
The Dental Council told RTÉ such queries come in daily by phone and by email and are "always answered promptly."
Dr Barry Buckley said the moment he became aware of an issue regarding Dr Andreia Funico’s registration her contract was terminated. He said that a requirement to have passed English exams has only recently become mandatory to work as a dentist in Ireland.
The Dental Council introduced language testing as part of its registration process almost five years ago.
Dental Options added that all of Dr Funico’s clinical work has been checked and found to be satisfactory.
Following correspondence from RTÉ, this week Dr Buckley wrote to affected patients informing them they were treated by an unregistered dentist - adding he believes her work was carried out to a high standard.
RTÉ Investigates separately put a series of questions to the Dental Council about how Dr Funico was allowed to continue to practice in Ireland, despite it having received a number of complaints regarding her work, including suspicions she was practicing while unregistered.
In a response, the Council said it has no statutory inspection or enforcement powers, neither can it sanction a dental practice.
In fact, there is no register of dental clinics in Ireland or any restrictions on who can open or operate a dental practice here. The relevant offence is purporting to be a dentist, which is different to operating a dental practice.
This is among several gaps in legislation governing the dental profession here that legal experts say should be reviewed as a matter of priority.
The main legislation applicable to the practice of dentistry in Ireland, the Dentists Act, was passed in 1985.
In the 40 years since, it has undergone little reform. At the request of the Department of Health, the Dental Council submitted proposals for legislative change in 2021 but two years on, the Council says it is still waiting for a review of the act to begin.
In a statement, the Department of Health told RTÉ the practice of dentistry is underpinned by a range of legislation outside the Dentists Act. Nonetheless it added it remains committed to reviewing the act and said additional resources have been allocated to commence this work.
However, it did not provide a timeframe for conducting any such review.
"All of the other acts have pretty much been updated," said Dr Ciarán Craven SC in relation to legislation regulating healthcare professionals.
"So particularly in a highly technical area [like dentistry], it would seem prudent legislation is up to date."
The Department of Health said it strongly condemns the practising of dentistry illegally and the use of forged documents, impersonation, or other illegal methods in order to enable this practise. It added any suspected cases of such activity should be reported to An Garda Síochána.
The Dental Council told RTÉ Investigates it is has not referred Dr Funico’s case to the Gardaí.
Dr Andreia Funico has now returned to Portugal. She did not respond to correspondence containing questions relating to issues raised in this report.
RTÉ Investigates has learned she is also at the centre of complaints received by the Portuguese Dental Association regarding events that occurred in Portugal.
Legal processes are underway there too related to allegations that false documentation was used by Dr Funico when applying for registration in Ireland.
"Government can be very hard to motivate in relation to these matters," Dr Ciarán Craven told RTÉ.
"The problems that you have highlighted they will continue," he added. "Members of the public will continue to be at risk. And the potential for harm, which there is at the moment, it too will continue."
Watch RTÉ Investigates: Lying Through Her Teeth on Prime Time, Thursday 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
