Dentist HIV Risk Probed by Colorado Officials; Patients Stuck With Reused Needles
Patients of one dentist in Colorado were sent notification that they may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C as a result of "unsafe practices."
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment sent letters to 8,000 patients of dentist Stephen Stein, which advised them to get tested for the diseases after becoming aware of "unsafe injection practices" at two clinics owned by Stein between September 1999 and June 2011, as reported by Reuters.
Investigators found that Stein reused needles and syringes in several patients' intravenous lines at his oral surgery and dental implant clinics, in violation of standard medical protocol, the department said in a statement.
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"This practice has been shown to transmit infections," the statement said, adding there have been no confirmed cases of patients contracting viral infections as a result of those practices.
The letters sent to Stein's former patient, from the health department, insisted they get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, according to Jan Stapleman, a health department spokeswoman.
Adding to the confusion, Stein's records were incomplete, leading to the possibility that more people may have been exposed to the viruses than previously thought, Stapleman said.
Authorities explained that any patient who was subjected to any type of injection at the clinics could be at risk. They also stated that if any patients of Stein tested positive there is no way to determine if Stein was responsible for them contracting the viruses.
Stein's license to practice dentistry in Colorado had been suspended for an unrelated matter, according to Cory Everett-Lozano, spokeswoman for the state Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Lynn Kimbrough, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver, revealed that Stein had been the subject of a criminal probe for possible prescription fraud before stories emerged about reusing syringes, adding that no formal charges have been filed.
