Oklahoma state investigators said that a Tusla dentist exposed 7,000 patients to HIV and hepatitis, prompting officials to send out a warning for them to go get checked.
When Susan Rogers, executive director of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, took part in an investigation of W. Scott Harrington’s dental practice, they found bad sterilization techniques and noted that needles were not handled properly.
“I will tell you that when ... we left, we were just physically kind of sick,” she said, reported CNN. “I mean, that’s how bad (it was), and I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff over the years.”
There were also rusty surgical tools, unlicensed workers, and medication that was 20 years past its expiration date in his office.
State Epidemiologist Kristy Bradley told USA Today on Friday that there should not panic about the health care.
“I want to stress that this is not an outbreak,” she said.
The investigation was triggered after a patient contracted hepatitis C and HIV, according to a complaint against Harrington obtained by Reuters. Officials found that the patient did not engage in activity that would have led them to contracting the two blood-borne diseases.
Officials said that Harrington was one of a few offices that accepted Medicaid patients, and according to the complaint, he treated people with hepatitis and HIV. The complaint said that his staff told investigators that they treated a “high population of known infectious disease carrier patients,” according to KTUL-TV.
The Tulsa Health Department said that Harrington, who has been practicing dentistry for more than 30 years, gave up his license voluntarily when they spoke to him.
“The dentist is cooperating with investigators through his attorney. The State Board of Dentistry has been working very closely with the State Health Department on this investigation. The investigation is multifaceted and ongoing,” the agency said in a statement.
Oklahoma officials set up a hotline at (918) 595-4500 to deal with questions or concerns, according to KTUL.
They also will do free testing at the Tulsa Health Department’s North Regional Health and Wellness Center, 5635 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
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