Patient advocates have called for greater regulation of the dental industry after almost 1000 people were told they could have been exposed to HIV and other infectious diseases at two Sydney clinics.
About 980 patients received letters from the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District earlier this month warning they could have been infected if they had visited the clinics between August 2002 and August 2013.
While the risk of infection was low, the letter advised that they may have been exposed to HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
It came after two dental practices operated by Nuha Kamil at 255 Castlereagh Street in Sydney and Alfred Street in North Sydney were investigated by public health authorities.
The clinics were inspected following a complaint about cleanliness from a patient.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
NSW Health Director of Communicable Diseases Vicky Sheppeard said inspectors found there "was not proper cleaning and sterilisation of instruments".
Although it was believed the risk of infection was "very low", Dr Sheppeard told AAP that they warned patients so they could get themselves tested.
No infections have been reported as yet, she said.
"Not all people who attended there were put at risk ... it's usually things like extractions where instruments are going into the gums and so forth.
"If there is a blood-borne virus on the instruments then they could be transferred through those procedures."
Consumers Health Forum (CHF) of Australia spokesman Mark Metherell said the case was "deeply disturbing".
"This case has gone on for 11 years where there may have been sub-standard sterilisation," he told AAP.
"There doesn't seem to be any routine checking that sterilising instruments is happening at dentist clinics."
Mr Metherell also questioned why health authorities only issued letters to warn patients when the risk of infection dated back to 2002.
"You are going to miss a lot of people," he said.
"Why didn't the authority go public on this matter?"
The Dental Council of NSW said that Dr Kamil was still practising, but had been ordered to work with an assistant "who has infection control training and experience".
As part of the conditions imposed on her registration, the council is also performing random inspections.
