The Pima County Health Department is currently contacting 174 dental
patients who were seen at the T Dental Clinic at 3662 W. Ina Road in
Marana between January and July of 2010 because they may have been
exposed to blood borne diseases like Hepatitis of HIV. This is a precautionary measure and at this time, no cases of transmission of disease have been identified.
The Health Department is working to contact all patients who may have
been exposed, which appears to be limited to a pool of 174 individuals
based on dental records. However, if you were a patient of the T Dental
Clinic between the time of January and July 2010 and have not yet been
contacted, please call us at 520-243-7808 for specific guidance.
“At this time, we are trying to help provide residents with
sufficient information so they can take the appropriate steps to feel
secure about their health. The only individuals at risk for infection
are those who were seen at T Dental Clinic during a very specific period
of time,” said Dr. Francisco Garcia, Public Health Director. “Although
medical and dental offices are not regulated by the County Health
Department, we believe it is important to inform the public about this
possible health risk.”
The potential exposure may have been the result of improperly installed dental equipment, but at this time, there is no evidence that patients were exposed to Hepatitis B, Hepatits C, or HIV.
However, the Health Department strongly recommends the people who have
been contacted make an appointment with their primary care physician to
test for these diseases. Patients of the T Dental Clinic who have
questions or may need a referral on where to get tested are advised to
speak with Health Department staff by calling (520) 243-7808 from 8 am. –
5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Pima County Health Department has partnered with the Arizona
Department of Health Services to look into the incident and contact
patients of the dental office. The T Dental Clinic is no longer in
practice, closing operations around the time of July 2010.