22,000 patients to be recalled in infection alert over HIV-positive UK dentist

More than 22,000 patients who may have been treated by a dentist infected with HIV will be urged to come forward by bosses at NHS England. Experts want to carry out tests due to a possible risk of infection from dangerous blood-borne diseases that could include HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. It is being described by health chiefs as a “significant patient recall”. The recall is understood to involve the Nottingham area—with officials due to give a news conference later this morning.

While the risk of ­infection is low, the advice has been to screen everyone. The public must be aware of the need to take action.

Source speaking to the Daily Mirror

The dentist was suspended in June after a whistleblower secretly filmed him allegedly breaching infection-control standards. Health chiefs launched an investigation after viewing the footage, and called in officials from Public Health England. They carried out a clinical risk assessment and concluded that patients may have been placed at risk of infection from blood-borne viruses. In April, new guidelines were released to allow doctors, nurses and other skilled health care workers with HIV to carry out certain dental and surgical procedures. They are now allowed to carry out these procedures if they are on effective drug therapy, have an undetectable viral load and are regularly monitored.

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