By not respecting the elementary rules of hygiene, Dr Desmond D’Mello could have contaminated his patients throughout the 30 years of his activity.
It is the largest patient recall in the history of British medicine. In the UK, nearly 22,000 people are called for HIV tests after being treated by a dentist who failed to follow hygienic procedures for more than 30 years. Patients will also be screened for hepatitis B and C.
The dentist had made a bad habit of not washing his hands and never changing gloves between two patients. He even got into the habit of storing some of his instruments in the staff toilets. Dr Desmond D’Mello was banned from practicing for 18 months.
Unexplained death of one of the patients
“We are extremely sorry for the undoubted concern raised by this news. I must underline […] that even though the risk is low, I encourage those affected to contact the helpline, ”said Dr Doug Black, director of the NHS (the UK’s public health system) in Nottinghamshire (the region where Dr. D’Mello).
The negligence of the English dentist in terms of hygiene could even have caused the death of one of these 23-year-old patients, who died last August shortly after her visit to Dr. D’Mello. British police are examining the conditions of the death of the young woman, who died of viral myocarditis.
The aberrant practices of the dentist were revealed thanks to a video filmed in secret.
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