Health Advisory
Summary
- Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) has issued a press release after identifying a person with a life-threatening bloodborne infection who received dental care by an unlicensed provider in the basement of a house in West Falls Church.
- The press release is recommending anyone who received dental care in this manner to see their health care provider to be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, which are all spread through blood exposure.
Suggested Actions
- If a patient identifies a similar unlicensed dental exposure (regardless of when and where the dental exposure occurred), FCHD is recommending that the patient be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
- Laboratory testing should include the following blood tests:
- HIV AB rapid testing.
- Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Testing (HBsAg).
- Antibody to Hepatitis C virus Testing (anti-HBc).
- If you have any questions regarding laboratory testing, please contact the Fairfax County Health Department Communicable Disease Unit at 703-246-2433.
- Positive laboratory results related to this specific incident (unlicensed dental practice exposure) should be reported immediately to FCHD at 703-246-2433.
Per the Virginia Regulations for Disease Reporting and Control, health care providers are required to report all positive laboratory results of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV to their local health department (FCHD disease reporting - https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/diseases-conditions/reporting).
Additional Information
- By law, all dentists must be licensed to practice in the state of Virginia. Patients can look up their dentist to make sure he or she has a current Virginia dental license at the Department of Health Professions website at https://dhp.virginiainteractive.org/Lookup/Index.
- FCHD provides dental services to children whose families are income eligible and/or to whom treatment is not available in the private sector. A list of other clinics in northern Virginia that offer low-cost, preventative and emergency dental care can be found in the attached press release.
- For a list of confidential HIV testing locations, visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/hiv-aids.
Blast Fax ID# 18-02