Newsletter
TULSA, Okla., USA: An oral surgeon from Tulsa accused of exposing patients to HIV and hepatitis has lost his license to practice. Investigations against the 66-year-old were launched in summer 2012, after notification from dental licensing agencies of alleged unsafe injection practices in his office. Authorities found numerous violations of health and safety laws, and major violations of the State Dental Act of Oklahoma.
"The case is closed with us at this point," said Oklahoma Board of Dentistry President James Sparks during a meeting last week, just after the board had voted to accept the permanent surrender of the oral surgeon's license. According to the website www.tulsaworld.com, which reported on the case, the accused did not attend the meeting.
Former patients have filed lawsuits against the man, whose practice was found to contain rusted instruments and a disorganized drug cabinet with expired medicines, and to have improper sterilization procedures and insufficient infection control measures in place. Additionally, it is alleged that staff in the surgeon's practice had taken radiographs without the required authorization. Officials also learned that he allowed dental assistants in the office to perform intravenous sedation, despite not being trained or permitted to do so.
The given number of patients who could possibly be infected with HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C owing to the unsanitary conditions varies between 4,000 and 7,000. According to the website, more than 4,200 former patients were tested free of charge at clinics in the Tulsa area, and 89 tested positive for hepatitis C, five for hepatitis B and four for HIV. However, whether infection transmission did indeed occur at the oral surgeon's practice has only been proven in one case thus far. A gene test confirmed that a patient had contracted hepatitis C from a visit to the practice.
The oral surgeon had already stopped practicing voluntarily in spring 2013 and moved to Arizona.
