A BANNED county dentist has had his suspension confirmed by the regulator, meaning he cannot return to work until at least early next year.

The General Dental Council (GDC) imposed an 18-month ban on Abergavenny dentist Dr Stephen Gary Lodge on July 21 2025, which was to be reviewed after six months.

At the recent hearing, the original suspension – the longest amount of time which the GDC can impose for a temporary ban – was upheld.

Dr Lodge ran the Lodge Dental practise on Monmouth Road, in Abergavenny, as well as another practice under the same name in New Inn.

At the time of the initial suspension, a source told the Beacon’s sister paper The Abergavenny Chronicle that it was in relation to an incident that occurred while holidaying in Cyprus last year, but the GDC has opted not to disclose the reason for Dr Lodge’s suspension.

When Lodge Dental was approached by The Chronicle, there was nobody available to make a statement.

Publicly available documents from Companies House reveal Dr Cameron Currie has since assumed the role of director at Lodge Dental.

Documents show that Christopher Lodge assumed the position of director in the immediate aftermath of his brother’s suspension but he is not a qualified dentist.

According to regulations, all healthcare providers must have a functional clinical governance framework and the fact Dr Currie did not take over as director until October 2025 means Lodge Dental may not have had a clinical director in place for a period of three months.

The Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) says it has considered concerns raised about the governance of the dental care provider and clinical oversight arrangements.

As the original suspension has been upheld, the earliest time Dr Lodge could possibly return to work in the profession would January next year.