Dwight Pemberton, DDS, the dentist at the Veterans' Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Dayton, OH, whose lax infection control practices potentially exposed hundreds of patients to hepatitis and HIV, has denied the allegations in his first interview, given to the Dayton Daily News.
Dr. Pemberton, who is accused of failing to change gloves and sterilize dental instruments between patients, told the paper that co-workers accused him of these lapses to get the clinic's supervisor, Andrew Mesaros, DDS, in trouble.
The co-workers who exposed this lapse, however, have denied these allegations, according to the Daily News.
Dr. Pemberton gave the Dayton Daily News copies of documents in which 19 out of 20 workers interviewed at the clinic denied that they ever saw him using dirty equipment. The VA said it had no knowledge of the documents.
In February of this year, the VA proposed firing Dr. Pemberton but he retired before that could happen.
Dr. Pemberton, who received an annual salary of $165,878, is looking to secure a $9,000 performance bonus he claims the VA owes him, the story noted.
