THE University of Queensland is embroiled in a fresh misconduct scandal, refusing to come clean about how its dental school was involved in a Medicare rort.

The Courier-Mail can reveal that hundreds of members of the public who let UQ dentistry students practise on them in January 2010 were sent for expensive X-rays to businesses connected to two senior members of staff.

They were sent for Medicare-funded full-jaw OPG X-rays to businesses, one of which, Q-Scan Dental JV Pty Ltd, is half-owned by the school's deputy head Camile Farah. This was despite UQ having its own X-ray equipment available.

After an internal investigation, UQ tried twice to contact Medicare, but failed to follow up when it got no reply.

Vice-Chancellor Paul Greenfield, who was later forced out over a nepotism scandal, did not inform UQ's governing body, the Senate, raising questions about transparency at UQ.

UQ this week began a "review" of the investigation and has written to Medicare again after the original whistleblower made a further complaint.

"The complainant has since raised some concerns about the way in which the matter was handled," senior deputy Vice-Chancellor Deborah Terry said.

"On this basis, UQ's new associate director (investigations) will be undertaking a review of the case.

"The (Crime and Misconduct Commission) is aware of the review, which has now commenced."

The original probe, by UQ investigator Phil Procopis, found "unmanaged conflicts of interest" at the school. It also substantiated a claim that the Health Insurance Act had been breached, recommending UQ contact Medicare "to seek their advice on whether any compensatory action by UQ is needed".

But UQ, which received $750 million in taxpayer funding last year, will not say what action, if any, was taken against staff or what happened to the money generated.

UQ said the CMC had been "satisfied with the University's responses" to the recommendations that emerged from the initial investigation.

Whether to inform the Senate had been up to the then Vice-Chancellor, Paul Greenfield, Professor Terry said.

Medicare declined to comment, citing privacy and secrecy laws.

Documents show supervisors were told in January 2010 to send patients for 360-degree scans to pathology businesses in Brisbane, including QScan Dental JV which is half-owned by Professor Farah, an oral cancer specialist. He is also the consultant pathologist to that business. A colleague, Paul Monsour, is consultant to the other business, QDI.

Neither could be reached yesterday.

Each of the scans, known as an OPG, costs about $100, which would have been covered by Medicare.

On January 20, 2010, Brad Wright, clinical operations manager, wrote an email headed "OPGs" to almost 50 tutors at the School: "Please ensure patients go ONLY to QSCAN and QDI and ONLY where they take OPGs. These arrangements do not exist with other radiology clinics."

There's no suggestion QScan or QDI were involved in the rort.

Then on January 28, Mr Wright sent another email to students and staff in which he wrote: "RADIOGRAPHY Do not allow any more students to refer out OPGs."

Mr Procopis, who was the first to brief then chancellor John Story about the Paul Greenfield nepotism claims, was made redundant by UQ in June.