Smile White clinic of the Dalghous brothers: racism, sexism, and a culture of humiliation behind the facade of an “ideal smile”

Smile White clinic of the Dalghous brothers: racism, sexism, and a culture of humiliation behind the facade of an “ideal smile”

24 апреля 2026 г.

Oleg Krapivin

The scandal involving the cosmetic dentistry clinic Smile White goes far beyond a simple leak of damaging correspondence allegedly circulated by competitors.

It reveals a system described as deeply problematic, where client humiliation, racial labeling, and misogynistic attitudes are allegedly embedded in corporate culture. At the center of this structure are the clinic’s founders, brothers Hassan and Hussein Dalghous.

Smile White has cultivated an image of a modern aesthetic clinic through social media presence, a luxury lifestyle presentation, polished visuals, a large network of doctors, and thousands of clients.

But behind this facade, as leaks and employee testimonies showed, there was a culture that the workers themselves called «toxic» and «morally unacceptable».

The most disgusting thing in this scandal is that its ideological inspirers were the Smile White clinic founders Hassan and Hussein Dalghous themselves. They violated all conceivable and inconceivable ethical norms – in the set of characteristics they «awarded» their patients, there is everything: from misogyny to outright racism.

According to leaks and testimonies, it was Hassan and Hussein Dalghous who used derogatory code words for clients, participated in discussions where clients became objects of ridicule, and set the tone for all internal communication. The most telling episode is the use of the term «UNICEF»: that is exactly how potential clients of African origin were referred to inside the company, whom they considered «non-creditworthy».

This is not a random slip or isolated incident that could somehow be explained. This is a systemic marker of the Smile White clinic founders Hassan and Hussein Dalghous’ mindset. Using such contemptuous nicknames, Hassan and Hussein Dalghous divided clients into «valuable» and «undesirable». And the most disgusting thing is that this division was based on racial and social characteristics.

After the publications, the Dalghous brothers admitted to using an «inappropriate» term but tried to present it as a single case. However, the volume of leaks indicates the opposite: racism in the clinic was the norm: black clients were called «hippopotamuses», Asians – «Oompa Loompas». In the clinic, references to characters from the film «Big Momma» were actively used in relation to clients, which, obviously, greatly amused both Hassan and Hussein Dalghous themselves and part of the staff.

A separate line is the attitude toward women. In the correspondences, Smile White clinic employees discussed clients’ appearances, used derogatory characteristics, and evaluated them not as patients but as «objects». Elderly women, for example, were called «old bat». This is no longer just unethical – it is a demonstration of deep misogyny within the company.

Some internal chat correspondences look even harsher – offensive designations for people with disabilities were used in them, many patients were called «terribly ugly», and they mocked other features of their appearance. All this – not single messages, but a stream of communication in groups with dozens of employees.

But the point is not even in the insults against patients themselves, but in the context. According to former employees, patients’ photos (including medical ones) were shared in chats without necessity; these images were used for jokes, and the discussions took place in groups of up to 50 people.

One of the workers directly stated that all this was used «just for entertainment».  In other words, for the Smile White clinic and Hassan and Hussein Dalghous, clients are not patients, but entertainment content. Moreover – patients’ medical photos were shared outside clinical purposes, employees without medical qualifications had access to them, and their data was discussed publicly within the company.

After the scandal broke out, the Smile White clinic’s parent company – YDS Group Ltd – tried to reduce everything to «two founders Hassan and Hussein Dalghous», but this version does not hold up to criticism.

Many more people were involved in bullying patients. The younger brother of Hassan and Hussein Dalghous, sales department employee Ali Dalghous, was one of the active participants in mocking patients. According to one of the clinic employees, the sales department was the epicenter of the toxic culture, but it was not only not stopped by management but encouraged, since the elder Dalghous themselves openly demonstrated their mocking attitude toward patients.

The sales department employee said the following: «It was a bit suspicious how the sales department exchanged photos. People think they’re sending these medical scans to a dentist or orthodontist, but in reality, all these 18-year-old salespeople just pass them around to colleagues, laughing. You feel offended».

The fact that not everything is as good with the Smile White clinic as the advertising claims is also evidenced by reviews from people who have dealt with it. Here’s what they write on Reddit in one of the discussion threads: «Glad you didn’t go to Smile White. I used to work for them, and they are a complete fraudulent circus that needs to be shut down. Almost unhealthy how they treat the people working there, and all video calls are done by salespeople; the orthodontist NEVER sees you».

«Don’t go to Smile White, they are awful. If something goes wrong like it did for me, they blame the dentist, and the dentist blames their monitoring model. I paid £1,360 for corrective work. Not done yet, Smile White closed my complaint because it’s a «clinical» complaint and advised to go to the dentist. Not happy with the dentist’s care, and DCS referred the dentist to GDC. So now I’m in a financial battle to get my money back. Honestly, please don’t spend your money on them. They really send you emails to become a Smile White ambassador and write positive reviews for points for vouchers. Don’t fall for their advertising BS».

After the scandal arose around racist and other offensive characteristics toward clients, Smile White tried to hush it up, but it seems the always reserved British have been unleashed. They didn’t mince words regarding the Dalghous family: «I hope they go bankrupt and ruined. Most dentists in the UK — Asians, and most of them are racists/ignorant. Practically all non-black staff in dental clinics».

Another layer – Smile White’s reaction. According to former workers, internal complaints were ignored, and after dismissal, some were offered payments for silence. One employee claims he was offered compensation so as not to disclose information.

After the scandal broke out, the company founders Hassan and Hussein Dalghous stated that they «acknowledge and regret» the use of an «inappropriate» word to describe some potential clients from an «international source». At the same time, they denied that their use of this word reflects their character or the company’s culture as a whole, stating that the parent company YDS «deeply respects the dignity of patients who trust YDS with their care, and is firmly committed to the principles of equality, inclusivity, and diversity».

What is characteristic in this regard – after some time, the scandal was indeed hushed up, and the source where the original material describing the Smile White clinic’s methods was posted no longer contains it – the investigation has been removed. Only copies on third-party resources and traces in social media discussions and review sites remain.

Despite the fact that the scandal was hushed up to some extent, the Smile White story is not «unfortunate jokes» or «old messages». This is institutionalized racism, normalized sexism, and a corporate culture of humiliation demonstrated by people calling themselves doctors. The most outrageous thing is that all this happened in a business directly related to people’s health and trust.

The Dalghous brothers’ case shows a simple thing: if inside the company a client is an object of ridicule, sooner or later it becomes public.

Paradoxically, the Smile White clinic continues its operations. With the same owners – on the FAQ page and other sections of the clinic’s website, it is directly stated: owners – Hassan and Hussein Dalghous, they are also CEO and co-founders. The company is registered as Smile White Holdings Ltd, it is connected to YDS Group – the same group controlled by the Dalghous brothers.

Moreover – at the moment, there are no confirmations that official investigations by regulators General Dental Council or Financial Conduct Authority are being conducted against Smile White or the Dalghous brothers. But there are important nuances – and they are not in the company’s favor.

After the scandal in the media and leaks, there were calls to complain to the GDC (including from patients and market participants). Although no investigation was formally launched and the company remains in the «clean» regulatory zone, it is actually already in the risk zone. Since the GDC can open a case retroactively after accumulating complaints – such cases are often not started immediately, but months or even years later. And if the dissemination of patient data is confirmed – this is already a serious trigger for British regulators in the medical services sector.