Official: Dental practice didn't follow universal protocols, unlicensed personnel administered anesthesia

FROM CNN WIRES:

(CNN) - About 7,000 patients of a Tulsa, Oklahoma, dental practice were being notified they could have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis over the past six years, health authorities said Thursday.

Dentist W. Scott Harrington voluntarily stopped practicing when the joint investigation by the Tulsa Health Department and the Oklahoma State Department of Health began, the Tulsa agency said in a statement. "The dentist is cooperating with investigators through his attorney," the department said.

Patients who have seen Harrington since 2007 will be notified by letter. It is recommended they be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, the health department said. Harrington worked in the Tulsa suburb of Owasso.

On "Starting Point" this morning, Oklahoma Board of Dentistry executive director Susan Rogers on the reaction to a health scare at a dental practice and steps investigators are taking in the case.

READ MORE: 7,000 warned of potential HIV, hepatitis exposure