silverguide.site –

Patients of a retired Sydney dentist who practised for more than 25 years have been urged to get tested for blood-borne viruses.

Blood-borne viruses spread when infected blood or other bodily fluids are passed from one person to another, including through contaminated needles or splashes and spatter of contaminated blood or saliva.

NSW Health issued the extraordinary public health alert on Wednesday, advising all patients of Dr William Tam to see their GP and ask for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV testing.

Tam practised at Albert Road in Strathfield, in Sydney’s inner-west, NSW Health said.

The alert said that while the risk is low, a recent audit of Tam’s premises by the Dental Council of NSW identified concerns about infection control practices at the premises, as well as patient record keeping.

Tam is retired and is no longer a registered dentist.

The clinical director of public health for the Sydney Local Health District, Dr Leena Gupta, said thousands of people may have been seen by Tam while he practised, but there are no records that can be used to contact those patients.

“The poor infection control practices at Dr Tam’s practice means all former patients may be at low risk of a blood-borne virus infection, which can have serious and long-lasting health impacts,” she said.

“As a precaution, we are asking all of Dr Tam’s previous patients to seek testing for blood-borne viruses.”

Gupta said that people with HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C may not have any symptoms for decades.

“So it is important that people at risk of these infections are tested, so that they can access treatment as appropriate. There are effective treatments available for all three conditions.”

Dr Zeina Najjar, a staff specialist in public health for the Sydney Local Health District, said an audit conducted in April identified inadequate sterilisation of equipment and poor cleaning.

“For this reason, concerns were raised for blood-borne virus transmission,” she told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

None of the patients have been diagnosed with a blood-borne virus, she said, adding auditors could not confidently identify all potentially affected individuals due to poor record keeping, prompting the public appeal.

The audit was a result of a complaint made to the Dental Council of NSW, Najjar said, but she did not detail the nature of that complaint or say when it was made.

“Patients who underwent invasive dental procedures – so those where instruments may have pierced the skin or the root of the tooth or the gum, or drawn blood – would be at a slightly higher risk,” she said. “But overall the risk, including to those patients, is considered to be low.”

Najjar said she could not comment on why Tam retired.

Former patients of Tam with further questions can speak to their GP or contact Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.