Three Philadelphia dental offices closed after exposing 1,500 patients to HIV and hepatitis

Three Philadelphia dental offices closed after exposing as many as 1,500 patients to HIV and hepatitis by reusing needles

  • An anonymous tip was called into the Philadelphia Department of Public Health in November 2018 
  • Investigators found staff reusing needles and using improperly sterilized equipment at Trieu Family Dental 
  • All three clinics were closed in December 2018 and staff are being retrained by health officials on proper hygiene practices
  • Patients who visited any of the locations between January 2017 and December 2018 are recommended getting tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C 

As many as 1,500 patients may have been exposed to diseases such as hepatitis and HIV at three dental clinics in Philadelphia, health officials say.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health shut down all three locations of Trieu Family Dental on West Chew Avenue, North 5th Street and Woodland Avenue.

A patient at the West Chew Avenue location called in an anonymous tip in November 2018 after spotting ‘unsanitary conditions’, reported NBC 10.

When investigators visited the clinic, they found evidence of unsafe practices including the reuse of needles and the use of equipment that hadn’t been properly sterilized.  

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health shut down all three locations of Trieu Family Dental after staff exposed as many as 1,500 patients to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C

‘The sterilization and handling of used instruments on patients was not being cleaned appropriately or in a timely fashion,’ Dr Steven Alles, director of disease control with the Philadelphia Health Department, told NBC 10.

The clinics were closed in December 2018 and officials say they’ve been working with staff to educate them on proper hygiene practices and identifying former patients.  

The Health Department says that it’s not allowing any of the Trieu clinic to reopen until inspectors believe the clinicians are fully retrained, NBC 10 reported.

In the meantime, patients who visited any of the locations between January 1, 2017 and December 7, 2018 have been advised to get tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

Hepatitis B and C are liver diseases caused by the hep B and C viruses, respectively, and both are commonly spread from bodily fluids or from exposure to contaminated blood or needles.

Contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, means a lifetime of several different drugs that control the virus from multiplying and spreading. 

The health department says the infection risk is low and that it has not received any reports of infected patients yet.

‘We do not know how long these unsatisfactory practices were taking place, so we are encouraging anyone who had a visit at one of the three Trieu dental practices in Philadelphia to speak with their regular healthcare provider as soon as possible,’ the health department said in a statement to DailyMail.com. 

Patients with concerns have been asked to call a hotline at (215) 218-2999 Monday through Friday between 9am and 5pm.   

The Department of Public Health did not immediately return a request for comment from DailyMail.com. 

This is not the first instance of patients being exposed to bloodborne diseases because of substandard hygiene practices. 

In December 2018, a report revealed the HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, may have exposed more than 3,000 patients to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C due to improper drug storage methods, an outdated infection control plan and poor sterilization practices.

The New Jersey Department of Health wrote that operating rooms were not properly cleaned and disinfected between surgeries.

In one case, an investigator came upon a stretcher with a blood-stained sheet that wasn’t cleaned even after it was pointed out to staff. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk