Health Department

CONTACT INFORMATION: Our administration office at 10777 Main Street in Fairfax is open during regular business hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. Clinic services are not offered at this location.
703-246-2411 TTY 711
10777 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22030
Gloria Addo-Ayensu, M.D., M.P.H.
Director of Health

Fairfax County Health Department Press Release About Risks of Unlicensed Dental Practices

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

Fairfax Virtual Assistant