The lawyer of the Tulsa Oklahoma dentist who exposed thousands of patients to HIV released a statement Wednesday defending the oral surgeon. The dentist was called a health menace for possibly exposing his patients to HIV and hepatitis.
Despite the accusations he faces for use of unsterilized and rusty surgical tools, Dr. Scott Harrington's lawyer said that his client provided dedicated care and had a good record. Health officials must contact 7,000 people who were patients of the Oklahoma dentist, recommending that they get tested for possible dentist HIV risk.
"For almost 35 years, Dr. Harrington has provided Oklahomans with dedicated oral surgical care. His previous record with the dental board is impeccable. He is taking the recent allegations very seriously and is fully cooperating with the Oklahoma Dental Board. At this time, out of respect for his patients and the sensitivity of the issues, Dr. Harrington will make no further comment on this matter," attorney James K. Secrest II said.
As ABC News reported Tuesday, about 1,000 patients who visited the dentist were tested for HIV when the public scare was announced. The patients were tested for free for a possible dentist HIV risk, the virus that causes AIDS, and also for hepatitis B and C. The 17-count complaint filed against the dentist said that along with rusty instruments, officials found possibly contaminated drug vials and improper use of a tool-sterilization machine.
Harrington and his staff may face felony charges, since his assistants were permitted to administer anesthesia, technically practicing without a license."No one else in a dental office is even allowed to use a needle on the exterior of a patient in a dental office except the dentist. Dental assistants can't do anything with needles at all," Susan Rogers, president of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, said.
The public health scare involving the dentist started when one of Harrington's patients tested positive for HIV at first. In a statement released Friday by the Tulsa Health Department, more testing revealed that the patient was positive for hepatitis C and not HIV.
Harrington, a dentist for 36 years, voluntarily gave up his dental license on March 20. He may have his certification revoked at an upcoming hearing on April 19 as a result of his involvement in the dentist HIV risk exposure probe.
