235 Patients Exposed To Dirty Instruments

(Australia) Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Dr. Jeannette Young, admitted it took a week for staff at Bundaberg Hospital dental health clinic to realize non-sterilized dental instruments had been used on patients. As many as 235 people could have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis after the November 6 incident.

She said a clinic worker had prepared dental instruments, including incision tools, for sterilization in an autoclave but forgot to switch the…

Office manager jailed for embezzling $47,000

HollyAnnKeateA 24-year-old Rocklin, CA woman who worked as a dental office manager will serve one year in jail plus five years of probation for embezzling $47,431 from her employer and patients. Holly Ann Keate pleaded no contest in September to embezzling money between Aug.  2008 and Jan. 2009.

Keate used the money for vacations, laser treatment and plastic surgery. She was arrested at Sacramento International Airport on April 18, 2009 just…

Man sues after all of his teeth were removed

This story sounds familiar ($2 million for 16 teeth). A Canadian man’s dentist referred him to an oral surgeon in September 2008, with instructions that his upper teeth be removed. Dick Gregory claims that we awoke from surgery to find not only were is upper teeth removed, but all of his lower teeth were removed as well.

In a lawsuit filed last week, Gregory alleges that three dentists failed to read…

Missed dental appointments land Florida mom in jail

V.WrightA Florida woman was charged with child abuse following complaints that she didn’t properly take care of her son’s dental health needs.

Vanessa Wright, 30, arrested after authorities claim that on four separate occasions she didn’t follow through with dental treatment for her 5-6 year-old son, resulting in a hospitalization in July to treat an infection. After being released from the hospital with orders to see the dentist the mother again…