A Richmond dentist who charged patients thousands of dollars for procedures he never performed has lost his license and must pay fines totalling almost $100,000, according to the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C.
At a Dec. 3, the college cancelled Dr. Bin Xu’s registration and ordered him to pay a $50,000 fine plus $48,117 to cover the costs of the college’s investigation into his practice.
“The impact was financial, emotional and, in some cases, his patients suffered pain and discomfort as a result of his substandard practice,” reads the penalty decision.
“The fact that many of his patients were elderly and vulnerable makes Dr. Xu’s conduct particularly troubling.”
The college ultimately found Xu - who had a practice on Buswell Street - was incompetent and committed professional misconduct more than 70 times in three years.
The last time the college had contact with Xu was in January 2017, when he voluntarily withdrew from practise at age 54. Since then, he appears to have vanished. Documents and emails sent by the college went unclaimed and unanswered.
The college even hired a private investigative firm to locate Xu, which proved unsuccessful. Xu wasn’t present at the recent hearings.
The penalty decision follows a November hearing, where the college found that Xu “crossed a serious ethical threshold.”
Documents from outline how Xu charged patients — many of whom were seniors or other vulnerable people— for work he didn’t do and, when confronted, maintained he had done the work and refused to give a refund.
The dental surgeon also failed to correctly diagnose patients’ dental issues, keep proper patient records, and failed to obtain informed consent or develop appropriate treatment plans.
According to the penalty decision, Xu had a “pattern of preying financially on his patients.”
One patient — known as FCW in the records — was told treatment for both himself and his wife would cost $95,000, but Xu told FCW he would reduce the cost to $85,000 if FCW paid in cash as soon as possible.
Xu, who told FCW he had periodontal disease and would need to get 17 dental implants, did not complete the treatment he promised.
Another patient went to Xu for orthodontic work, but he provided her with braces that didn’t fit properly, causing her significant pain.
Xu also failed to attend that patient’s appointments, give her proper instructions for her braces or give her a promised refund.
The dentist even misled one patient into thinking he had treated teeth that he had never done work on in order to avoid giving her a refund.
Xu also gave patients unnecessary root canals and failed to refer patients to specialists when he was unable to complete treatment.
Before moving to North America, Xu practised as a general dentist in Shenyang City, China. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Southern California in 2004, and became a registered dentist in B.C. in February 2005.
In addition to paying the fine and investigation costs, Xu will not be allowed to reapply for reinstatement with the college for five years.
Xu also won’t be allowed to practice again unless he successfully repeats dentistry school and the national board exams, completes an ethics course and pays any patients who have successfully sued him.
“Ultimately, the college submitted that Dr. Xu’s conduct warrants a penalty at the highest end of the regulatory spectrum,” reads the penalty decision.
Should he resume his practice in B.C., Xu would have to agree to be supervised by the college for two years. He also would not be allowed to be involved, either directly or indirectly, with billing or receiving fees for services.
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