The Dayton Daily News has obtained testimony that reveals a former supervisor at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Dayton, OH, did not take adequate action after learning that a dentist did not use sterilized equipment on patients, according to a news story in the paper.
The dental clinic notified more than 500 veterans who may have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV by a dentist at the VA clinic who failed to change his gloves and sterilize tools between patients, the paper reported earlier this week.
The 42-page report obtained by the paper revealed that several dental clinic employees knew for years that a dentist was not following proper hygiene practices.
"I've seen him literally walk from his room with this patient's denture in one hand, go across to another room, open this patient's mouth with this denture of the opposite patient in his hand," one dental assistant told investigators, according to the Daily News. "I've seen him use the same instruments, the same handpiece, the same burs all day long on every patient."
