An investigation into a Tulsa dentist has revealed that at least one person contracted hepatitis C as a direct result of a visit to that practice, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health and Tulsa Health Department.
In March, thousands of former patients of Dr. Scott Harrington were notified they may have been exposed to blood-borne viruses at Harrington’s Tulsa and Owasso offices. More than 4,000 patients were tested, and 89 tested positive for hepatitis C, five for hepatitis B and four for HIV.
Among those testing positive, one has been confirmed to have contracted hepatitis C as a result of a visit to Harrington’s practice, public health officials announced today.
“This is the first documented report of patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis C virus associated with a dental setting in the United States,” state epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said in a press release from the Tulsa Health Department. “While dental procedures are generally safe, this reinforces the importance of adhering to strict infection control procedures in dental settings.”
It is unlikely Harrington will face criminal charges at this time.
To prove criminal negligence, prosecutors would have to show that Harrington knowingly caused a patient to contract the disease, which would be difficult, Tulsa District Attorney Tim Harris said.
The Oklahoma and Tulsa health departments released an interim status report today on their investigation into Harrington.
According to a press release, the “investigation of former patients testing positive for hepatitis C indicate that one event of patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis C virus occurred in the practice. Genetic-based testing of patient specimens by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided laboratory confirmation of this finding.”
On March 28, public health officials announced they were notifying Harrington’s former and current patients of the possibility that they had been infected. Health officials recommended that patients be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV infection at free clinics.
According to Wednesday's press release, 4,202 people were tested at the clinics and more were tested at private practices.
Health officials said that the prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV led them to believe that some Harrington patients would test positive for those infections even though they weren’t related to procedures at his practice.
More to come on this story as it develops.
