A DENTIST who was allowed to keep working after telling a patient to take a potentially lethal drug overdose has been suspended amid fresh allegations.

Colchester-based Dr Sayed Hossain Faghany is serving an 18-month interim suspension while the charges against him are investigated, the General Dental Council confirmed last night.

In 2006, Dr Faghany was found responsible for advising patient Helen Woodyard to take 50mg of the drug diazepam before an appointment, instead of the required 5mg.

But though an expert panel found his actions constituted “gross professional negligence”, he was sent away to continue practising at the Mersea Road Dental Surgery.

The dental council refused to reveal the nature of the new claims against him, but stressed his guilt or innocence had yet to be established.

One patient at the surgery said staff told her Dr Faghany was “unavailable” when she went for an appointment, but did not say why.

She said: “When I found out what was happening, I was horrified. I really do feel his patients need to know about this and find out the reasons behind it.

“I, for one, will never set foot in the surgery again and neither will any of my family.”

Mersea Road Dental Surgery and NHS North-East Essex declined to comment.

The 2006 hearing was told how Dr Faghany prescribed Mrs Woodyard the 50mg of diazepam and told her to take it an hour before an appointment to have bone removed from her gum on May 6, 2005.

Mrs Woodyard collapsed and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.

His representative Martin Forde said the incident was down to a misunderstanding.