Mike Mew: Dental treatment boy had 'seizure-like episodes'

Dr Mew's treatment of a six year old boy is being scrutinised

A six-year-old boy suffered "seizure-like episodes" while being treated by an orthodontist, a tribunal heard.

The General Dental Council is holding a misconduct hearing into treatment Dr Mike Mew carried out on the boy.

Dr Mew offered unorthodox ways of reshaping people's jawlines that have gone viral online.

His "mewing" technique, which purports to lift the jawline, alleviate jaw pain and improve sleep, has been viewed 1.7 billion times on TikTok.

The boy, known only as Patient B, was fitted in 2018 with head and neck gear which needed to be worn for at least eight hours a day, an "expansion appliance" which had to stay on for at least 18 hours and "removable upper and lower appliances" which could only be removed when he was brushing his teeth.

The hearing in Bloomsbury, London, was told the boy struggled to keep the devices on this long and the episodes were triggered if he was pushed too far to wear them.

The hearing was also told the treatment, which had a price tag of £12,500 for 36 months, risked causing his teeth to fall out and led him to struggle to eat.

The tribunal also heard Dr Mew only stepped back from fitting the appliance on the boy when he was just two years old because the youngster did not have enough teeth at the time.

Dr Mew's methods are popular on social media sites

Qualified dentist Aliyah Janmohamed, who worked with Dr Mew at his clinic in Purley, south London, between June 2017 and January 2019, said: "Sometimes Patient B has post-traumatic episodes following past medical interventions.

"He would have the seizure-like episodes if pushed too far so mum and dad were having issues."

The boy's mother became so concerned she took him to Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital because she believed he had tooth cavities and was showing signs of gum disease.

She told Ms Janmohamed in a phone call that Dr Mew "never listens" to her concerns and she was unhappy with his "one-size-fits-all" approach, adding that he was a "dangerous professional who needs to listen to his patients more".

'No adequate evidence'

The GDC's lawyer Lydia Barnfather told an earlier hearing both children had "perfectly normal cranial facial development for their age" before treatment took place.

She argued the treatment was "not clinically indicated" and Dr Mew "had no adequate objective evidence" it would achieve its aims.

The tribunal continues on Thursday and will hear more evidence from June 19-23.

A fitness to practise decision is not expected until after then.

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