TikTok ‘mewing’ orthodontist struck off after boy, 6, had ‘seizure-like episode’

An orthodontist whose unorthodox methods around shaping the jawline have gained popularity on social media has been struck off after a boy ‘suffered seizure-like episodes’ during treatment.

Dr Mike Mew, whose “mewing” techniques have racked up more than two billion views on TikTok and were the subject of a Netflix documentary, was found to be a “risk to public safety” by the General Dental Council following a misconduct hearing.

Following a tribunal held on Monday and a seven-year investigation, Dr Mew is set to be erased from the dental register and was given an immediate suspension order “for the protection of the public.”

The tribunal said: “Committee considered that not to impose an immediate order would be inconsistent and undermine its findings which found that you were a risk to public safety as you were undertaking treatments with no objective evidence base.”

A misconduct hearing last year 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.

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."

The child’s mother also 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”.

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Source: The Independent, 9 November 2024

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