Dr. Harrington has been practicing for 36 years
Health officials in the US state of Oklahoma have warned 7,000 patients their dentist may have exposed them to HIV and hepatitis B and C.
Patients of Dr W Scott Harrington’s practice in Tulsa were advised to test themselves at a free clinic set up by the state, health officials said.
Health inspectors found rusty dental instruments and poor hygiene standards at the clinic.
Dr Harrington has voluntarily closed the practice, officials said.
„Although we do not know whether you were personally exposed to blood-borne viruses,“ the state health department wrote to patients, „there is a possibility that you may have been exposed to infectious material.“
The letters are being sent to patients treated since 2007, but health officials have said they do not know who may have been seen by the dentist before that.