Nassau DA: Hempstead woman charged with practicing unlicensed dentistry out of apartment kitchen
Gladys Serrano is accused of extracting five teeth from a victim at her apartment.
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A Hempstead woman was charged with practicing unlicensed dentistry out of her apartment kitchen, according to the Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
Gladys Serrano, 70, allegedly told one victim that a total of five teeth needed to be extracted because they were rotting, and that the victim would also need a bridge. She is accused of extracting the teeth and then giving the victim pieces of paper towel to absorb the blood coming from the area.
“Practicing dentistry without proper authorization poses an incredibly serious risk to public health and safety,” said DA Donnelly. “This defendant’s alleged home operation endangered the well-being of at least one person in need of dental care.”
Donnelly said boxes labeled as single-use dental needles, Amoxicillin capsules, Relaflex and Lidocaine were also recovered.
"This is a sad situation," said Dr. Louis Pannullo, a dentist from Williston Park, who said there are better options for low-cost dental care. "There are these exceptional hospital-based residency programs on Long Island in addition to two fabulous dental schools that all offer services for patients with limited financial resources.”
Serrano pleaded not guilty and was released with electronic monitoring.
She was ordered to surrender her passport and restricted from traveling outside of New York.
If convicted, she could face up to four years behind bars.
Anyone who thinks they may have been victimized by the defendant is asked to call the Nassau District Attorney’s Office of Immigrant Affairs at 516-571-7756.
