A dentist in the US state of Oklahoma may have exposed thousands of patients to blood borne viruses, local and state officials have said.
On Thursday, officials with the Tulsa Health Department and the Oklahoma State Department of Health urged 7,000 patients who went to Dr. W. Scott Harrington’s clinics in Tulsa and suburban Owasso since 2007 to get tested for hepatitis and HIV following an investigation into safety issues at Harrington’s dental offices.
The officials noted that they do not have information for patients before 2007.
“It’s uncertain how long those practices have been in place,” said Kaitlin Snider, a spokeswoman for the Tulsa Health Department, adding that “He’s been practicing for 36 years.”
The Oklahoma Board of Dentistry said that state and county health inspectors went to Harrington’s practice after a patient with no other known risk factors tested positive for both hepatitis C and the virus that causes AIDS.
Inspectors found numerous safety issues at Harrington’s offices, including cross-contamination of needles and other instruments and the use of a separate, rusty, set of instruments for patients who were known to carry infectious diseases, according to a complaint.
A Harrington faces a hearing before the state Dental Board on April 19. He could lose his license for “major violations” of the Oklahoma Dental Act.
MN/HN
