1977 photo of Dr. Scott Harrington. (Oklahoma Board of Dentistry/AP)
As if people need another reason to fear the dentist. At least 60 patients of Oklahoma dentist W. Scott Harrington have tested positive for hepatitis or HIV. After one patient reported testing positive for both HIV and hepatitis C, the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry did a surprise inspection of Harrington’s practice, only to discover that the dentist used old needles, his instruments were rusted, and he often poured bleach on his patients’ wounds. Over 7,000 patients from Harrington’s multiple clinics were notified via letter about the risk of infection and offered free blood testing. So far 3,122 have been tested, and 57 were positive for hepatitis C, 3 for hepatitis B, and at least 1 has contracted HIV.
