Infection scare

12 November 2014
Volume 30 · Issue 3

Some 22,000 patients of a Nottinghamshire dentist are to be recalled for tests to see if they have been infected with blood-borne viruses.

The dentist, who has now been identified as Desmond D'Mello, has been suspended, NHS England has confirmed.

Desmond D'Mello, formerly of the Daybrook practice, was suspended by the General Dental Council over concerns about infection control.

NHS England said the dentist failed to wash his hand and change gloves between patients.

The risk of infection is believed to be low.

A whistle-blower contacted health authorities after he filmed covertly at the practice.

Mr D'Mello has been tested and is not HIV positive, NHS England said.

NHS England has taken advice from experts and they stress the risk of blood- borne infections being passed to the dentists' patients is low. Experts have recommended all the dentist's patients are screened.

Health chiefs will hold a news conference later.

Tracing the 22,000 patients treated by this dentist over 30 years will be easier said than done.

Some of them will have moved out of the area and others may have died.

The British Dental Health Foundation has issued the following comment in light of the case surrounding patients facing HIV and Hepatitis tests.

Chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Nigel Carter, said: “This is very much an isolated incident. The reality is the risk to patients is relatively low. It is important the public, and particularly those who believe they may be affected, to remain calm.

“For the virus to be transmitted through dental equipment, as is alleged here, it would have to be done almost straight away. The time between appointments means this is unlikely to happen.

“All dental practices in the UK have to operate the highest standards of cross infection control. Every dental practice is monitored and inspected regularly by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) against standards including those for cross infection control.

“In recent years the Department of Health has introduced new stringent regulations for cross infection control (HTM 01-05) which increases cross infection control standards and procedures above the already excellent standards already implemented. All dental surgeons are very aware of the issues around cross infection control in dental practice and generally operate to extremely high standards.”

 Chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, John Milne, said “There is absolutely no excuse for putting patients at risk. We champion the highest standards in dentistry, and rigorous infection control procedures need to be at the heart of any practice, large or small.

 “Clinical experts from Public Health England have established there is low risk of exposure. But today these patients need some reassurance, and recall is therefore a sensible precaution.

 "Dentists across the UK are setting high standards, and any exceptions are both regrettable and rare. But today's news does raise questions about the current inspection regime. We've long argued that dental experts need to be on the front line for inspections. We must ensure we have inspectors who know what good practice looks like, and we will be working closely with the Care Quality Commission to make that a reality."