A newly opened medical spa has come under fire for possibly not having correct licences for the procedures and staff it has advertised.

Azure Medical Spa had its grand opening February 22. It offers services including laser hair removal, Botox, facial peels, acne therapy, teeth whitening and more.

The spa is owned by Dr. James Fay who also owns the Paget Dental Group which operates out of the same building.

According to a supplement in Thursday's The Royal Gazette, Dr. Fay has more than 20 years of cosmetic dental experience. Between 2005 and 2007, he received certification for laser aesthetics, hair reduction, tattoo removal, treatment of vascular lesions and skin rejuvenation. He is also certified in Botox, dermal fillers, lip injections, microdermabrasion, skin resurfacing and chemical peels.

In the House of Assembly yesterday, Minister of Health Nelson Bascome expressed concern to Dr. Fay as a dentist, performing cosmetic procedure.

"As Minister of Health, I have recently become aware of concerns from a number of professional groups that staff in this facility may be operating outside the scope of their licenses.

"The Ministry is also aware that the Dental Board has attempted to get clarification on the procedures being performed in that facility without satisfactory response."

Mr. Bascome said the spa had contacted his Ministry earlier this year with general questions about procedures but the Ministry was unable to get any information in return about specific plans.

"In the same way you would not want a foot doctor to perform heart surgery, I am concerned that a dental practitioner could be putting themselves forward to perform medical procedures.

"The Ministry of Health would have expected to have been formally approached and presented with a proposal for any new procedures to be performed in that facility", he said.

Chair of Bermuda Health Council, Linda Merritt echoed the Minister's sentiments and said the council had not been approached by Azure or a representative about a dentist doing these treatments.

She said: "The Bermuda Health Council would like to have collaborated with the entity to ensure that proper controls were in place for emergency events, vetting the credentials of professional staff, equipment maintenance and that the facility meets with the standards of any existing legislative provisions.

"The Health Council wishes to ensure patient safety, patient education and that certain standards of care are met or exceeded with respect to cosmetic procedures. Without having had the opportunity to have some input or dialogue with the Azure Medical Spa we currently do not have this assurance."

Richard Cann, chair of Bermuda Dental Board, released a similar statement. "The Bermuda Dental Board is concerned about the article in the daily concerning the grand opening of the Azure Medical Spa," said Dr. Cann.

"The scope of practice in dentistry speaks to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a disease, disorder or dysfunction of the oral-facial complex.

"The Bermuda Dental Board has always interpreted this to mean that there must be an oral component to any treatment rendered by a dentist.

"This is in keeping with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, Canada; the American Dental Association; and the General Dental Council of London, England. Dentists are authorised to administer a substance by injection, but the ability to perform this controlled act is limited to the management of conditions that fall within the scope of practice of the profession.

"This does not include the injection of Botox, or any other agent or material, into the extra-oral/facial tissues of a patient for cosmetic purposes. "Dentists are not permitted to carry out the injection of Botox, or any other agent material, into the extra-oral/facial tissues of a patient for cosmetic procedures. This position is consistent with other regulatory bodies.

"Nor are they permitted to instruct other persons to carry-out such procedures or medical procedures not related to the practice of dentistry."

Dr. Cann said there were certain exceptions to the rule, if the practitioner has been granted an additional qualification in dentistry. However, he said no application for such a qualification had been made to the Dental Board.

Dr. Fay was not available for comment by press time.