Procès de José Pereira Mendes : Il arrachait des dents saines par dizaines pour gonfler ses factures
This is a truly chilling case. On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, José Pereira Mendes, a 61-year-old former dentist, appeared before the court in Mende, in southern France. He is accused of mutilating dozens of patients between 2018 and 2021 in his practice in Badaroux. Charged with aggravated assault resulting in permanent disability, fraud, and money laundering, he faces up to ten years in prison.
The modus operandi described in the investigation is appalling. The dentist, who had previously practiced in Portugal and Mozambique, is suspected of having extracted dozens of healthy teeth to bill for prostheses and implants that were often unnecessary or poorly fitted. An expert quoted in the investigation report is categorical: almost all of the work carried out was substandard, incomplete, and required to be redone.
Among the testimonies of distress, that of a patient who came in for a simple abscess is particularly striking: she ended up with 16 healthy teeth extracted. Today, she says she is in constant pain and unable to eat normally. Another patient had 14 teeth removed without any real medical justification. In total, 44 victims have been formally identified, but the number could increase during the hearing.
Upon arriving at court this morning, the former dentist, appearing thin and using a crutch, attempted to exonerate himself. Regarding the financial aspect, he told reporters he was a victim of his assistant. As for the unfinished treatments, he simply explained that he had to stop working following his incarceration in 2021.
In addition to the physical ordeal inflicted on his patients, Dr. Pereira Mendes is accused of defrauding the social security system of €330,000. This trial inevitably brings to mind the case of the Guedj dentists in Marseille, convicted in 2023 for mass mutilations of nearly 400 people. The verdict in this new public health case is expected Thursday evening.
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