British dentists condemn call for child migrant teeth tests
LONDON — Dentists in Britain on Wednesday condemned calls to test the teeth of child migrants entering Britain to determine their ages.
It came after 14 unaccompanied child refugees with relatives in the United Kingdom arrived in the country from a camp in Calais, northern France, on Monday.
David Davies, a lawmaker from the ruling Conservative Party, said some of the migrants did not look like children and called for dental tests or X-rays to ascertain how old they were.
He said that one refugee had "lines around his eyes and looks older than I am,” according to the BBC.
“I hope British hospitality is not being abused,” Davies said, the Telegraph reported.
“These young men don't look like minors to me. They are hulking teenagers who look older than 18. I'm all for helping the genuine children but the well of goodwill is rapidly being exhausted here,” he added. He also questioned why there were no females.
The British Dental Association said it "vigorously opposed" using dental X-rays in an attempt to determine refugees’ ages.
"It's not only an inaccurate method for assessing age, but it is both inappropriate and unethical to take radiographs of people when there is no health benefit for them," it said.
Britain's Home Office said French officials refer eligible refugees to the U.K. authorities and they are interviewed by authorities from both countries.
“We do not use dental x-rays to confirm the ages of those seeking asylum in the UK. The British Dental Association has described them as inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical," it said in a statement.
The British government said the 14 children, aged between 14 and 17, are the first of almost 100 unaccompanied minors from countries including Syria and Afghanistan to be resettled in the U.K.
Up to 10,000 people live in the camp in Calais, known as "the Jungle," many of whom want to cross the English Channel to reach Britain. The French government pledged to dismantle the camp by the end of the year, and plans to disperse the residents to other parts of the country.