A dental clinic in China has been penalised by authorities after staff removed all of a 63-year-old man's remaining teeth and took money from his bank accounts, according to South China Morning Post. The man, named only as Mr Li, from Baoji in Shaanxi province in northwest China, visited the Datuanyuan Dental Clinic last September for treatment of a toothache.
Mr Li told Chinese media that he was drawn in by advertisements promising "Get a dental implant in the morning and eat meat in the afternoon" and "Have a complete set of teeth, live past 100".
Staff reportedly sent a car to collect him and offered a free check-up. During the visit, the clinic extracted 12 of his teeth and fitted 10 implants. According to Mr Li, the clinic then emptied 18,800 yuan, about Rs 2.6 Lakh, from his bank account and digital wallets. He was also left with an unpaid bill of 6,200 yuan (Rs 87000). Health authorities have since taken action against the clinic.
"When my son found me, my mouth was full of blood, and I had just 30 yuan (Rs 420) left for the bus ride home," Li told the SCMP.
What his family found even more unacceptable was that Li had multiple diseases, such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, diabetes and high blood pressure. He also has four coronary stents.
According to the South China Morning Post, certain medical conditions require extra caution before tooth extraction procedures, and in some cases, immediate dental implants may not be recommended. A stomatologist at Wuhan University's Renmin Hospital noted that patients with diabetes should undergo dental implant treatment only after their condition is properly controlled. Experts also warn that multiple implants can carry significant risks. In a separate case reported in 2024, a Chinese man allegedly died 13 days after undergoing a procedure in which 23 teeth were extracted and 12 implants were inserted.
Meanwhile, Li's family has lodged three complaints with local health authorities, alleging irregularities in his treatment. They claimed the clinic provided incomplete medical records, while Li's son alleged that new documents would appear whenever discrepancies were pointed out, leading the family to suspect that some records may have been falsified.
They also marked Li's gender as "female" in the records.
What is more, the clinic only provided a preoperative cardiology consultation record six months after the procedure.
The authorities ordered the clinic to return the treatment fee to Li, and closed it down for rectification.
