Five patients of a dentist investigated for poor hygiene have diagnosed with hepatitis C, the BBC reported earlier today (17th March).
Desmond D’Mello neither changed equipment between treatments nor washed his hands whilst working at the former Daybrook Dental Practice in Nottinghamshire.
In the largest patient recall in its history, the NHS tested 4,526 patients of Mr D’Mello and five have now have tested positive for the virus.
22,000 patients were initially recalled by the NHS after a whistleblower raised concerns about hygiene when he secretly filmed the dentist working at the practice.
Dr Doug Black, medical director for NHS England in Nottinghamshire, said: “Now that this patient screening exercise is complete, we will be focusing our efforts on what we can learn from this incident and ensuring all our findings are shared with the General Dental Council to inform their ongoing investigation into Mr D’Mello.”
A spokeswoman for the NHS said that, due to the way in which hepatitis is transmitted, it isn’t always possible to detect when and how a person is infected with the disease.
None of the patients were found to have HIV or hepatitis B.
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