Oklahoma Dentist Puts Patients at Cross-Contamination Risk

Oklahoma Dentist Puts Patients at Cross-Contamination Risk

Reports of a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based oral surgeon allegedly violating basic infection control measures—thereby exposing patients to unsafe and unsanitary care and conditions—has created new waves of concern among patients about the safety of professional dental care. The reported breaches underscore the need for dental teams to follow accepted and up-to-date asepsis procedures, and for offices to have written protocols in place.

Amid widespread reports that W. Scott Harrington, DMD, used rusted and unsanitary instruments, administered single-use medications to multiple patients, and permitted unlicensed individuals to deliver care, dental teams should be prepared to offer a unified response to patients who inquire about their office’s safe delivery of services. “Patients will surely begin asking more questions about infection control practices because of this case,” explains Kandis V. Garland, RDH, MS, an infection control expert and assistant professor in the Department of Dental Hygiene at Idaho State University in Pocatello. “Each dental team member must therefore be able to comfortably discuss the policies and procedures that his or her office has in place.”

Assuring patients that the practice operates in accordance with infection control guidelines set forth by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is important. If warranted, dental professionals should detail the sterilization process, and open sterile instrument pouches only once patients are in the chair.

Reports of this breach serve as a reminder that every dental practice should routinely review current infection control protocols and regulations, as issued by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, CDC, and the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention.

Fully understanding the office’s protocol is a must for every dental professional, asserts Garland, who further advises dental practices to use this opportunity to reassess the policies, procedures, and training methods used to ensure patient and clinician safety.