Five Patients Test Positive for Hepatitis C in Mass Screening Following Hygiene Alert in Nottingham

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Health bosses have confirmed that five patients have tested positively for hepatitis C in a mass screening programme set up after concerns were raised about the hygiene practises of a Nottinghamshire dentist.

Patients who had received treatment  at Daybrook Dental Practice from Mr Desmond D’Mello were contacted by the NHS to encourage them to go for blood tests after it was reported that the dentist did not clean his hands between patients and employ the relevant infection control procedures. Mr D’Mello had been working at the practice for many years and in total, more than 22,000 people were contacted.

In the largest ever NHS recall, 4,526 patients were tested and five were diagnosed with hepatitis C. There were no cases of HIV or hepatitis B.

The NHS was forced to act after a whistleblower secretly filmed the dentist. At the time, experts said that infection risk was very slight and a spokesperson from Public Health England in the East Midlands stated that it was no surprise to find such a low number of cases in such a large number of tests.

Now that the testing process has concluded,  Dr Doug Black, medical director for NHS England in Nottinghamshire, stated that the focus would shift to learning from the incident and making sure that it never happens again. The findings of any research and investigations will be shown to the General Dental Council as part of the ongoing legal case involving Dr D’Mello.

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