NSW Health denies thousands of patients potentially exposed to blood-borne diseases at four Sydney dental clinics have already been tested and cleared.
There have been no positive tests for hepatitis or HIV, but it remains unclear how many of the more than 11,000 people potentially affected have followed advice to be tested, the department says.
Reports on Tuesday said thousands of patients have already been tested and cleared.
Those at risk include patients who underwent invasive procedures at The Gentle Dentist, in Campsie and the CBD, and all patients of the Bondi and Surry Hills practices of Dr Robert Starkenburg.
Doctors have been asked to contact NSW Health if any of the patients who attended the clinics return a positive result.
The department will then investigate whether the infection was transmitted at one of the clinics.
The risk of transmission at the clinics is low, but NSW Health still expects a number of patients to return positive results for infections that they may already have had.
"It is important to note that some communities have background rates of blood-borne viruses," said NSW Health director of health protection Jeremy McAnulty.
"For example, five to 10 per cent of people from parts of Asia and Africa may have been previously infected with hepatitis B," he said.
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