The last day for former patients of Tulsa oral surgeon Dr. W. Scott Harrington to get free testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C at the Tulsa City-County Health Department is June 28, officials announced Thursday.
Harrington might have exposed 7,000 patients or more to the diseases through a lack of infection control procedures and the use of unsanitary equipment.
He voluntarily stopped practicing March 20.
The Health Department has been offering the testing to former patients for about three months, and about 4,000 people have been tested.
So far, 73 former patients have tested positive for hepatitis C, five for hepatitis B and three for HIV, although health officials stress that a positive test result does not mean the person was infected at Harrington's practice.
Those results are in line with what would be expected from a random sampling of the population because of the high numbers of people who are infected but don't know it, said Health Department spokeswoman Kaitlin Snider.
Dwindling numbers of people - fewer than 10 in the past seven days - coming to the Health Department for testing has led the department to decide that the free testing is no longer an efficient use of its resources, Snider said.
"We're pretty confident that most of the people who wish to be tested have done so," she said.
The department may never know how many people sought testing through a private physician, she said.
The epidemiologic part of the investigation continues but will take some time, Snider said.
Every case must be investigated, she said.
"It takes a little bit of time to put all these things together," she said.
People who went to Harrington's office after Sept. 20 have been encouraged to return for further testing six months after their last visit to his office.
That testing will still be offered for free.
People wishing to make an appointment between now and June 28 should call the North Regional Health and Wellness Center, 5635 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., at 918-595-4380.
Shannon Muchmore 918-581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Free testing for patients of ex-dentist to end soon
Tulsa Oral Surgeon Investigation
Health officials said Harrington exposed roughly 5,000 patients with infectious diseases due to rusty instruments and unsanitary practices. His office was shut down in March.
