Hundreds of the clients we are acting for have given us useful insights in to what it was like to be a patient of disgraced Nottinghamshire dentist Mr Desmond D’Mello. Some of the things we have heard are unbelievable – we’ve been regularly blogging about it all, and we’ll continue to do so.
But a big question that remains unanswered is this: what else have former patients of the ‘dirty dentist’ been exposed to?
We know that the main risks are HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. The NHS is testing for these specifically. The risk of falling victim to any of them is deemed as low – HIV for one doesn’t survive very long outside of the body, and Hepatitis C is largely transferrable through blood to blood contact. Hepatitis B can specifically be transferred through unsterilised dental equipment though, so this remains the potentially bigger threat.
But although all three of the above blood-borne infections are serious, we want to know what else people may have been exposed to as a result of the reuse of gloves, failure to wash hands, and using unsterile equipment. We are getting reports from some of our clients of various ailments that we are in the process of investigating.
We’re advised for one that serious neurological diseases can be transferred, and there remain concerns over this.
But the reports we have had so far are as follows:
- General illnesses (like flu and cold) often contracted within days or having a D’Mello appointment
- Mouth ulcers and sores developing within days or appointments
- Oral thrush developing within days of appointments
All have, for some people, reoccurred when visiting D’Mello. There is every chance that his ignorance of infection control procedures is directly linked to this, and our specialist dental negligence barristers will be scrutinising medical records to identify trends and problems.
It’s still early days in to the investigations, but our leading specialist Daybrook Dental Team are working hard to fight for justice for those affected and ensure that anyone who has unduly suffered at the hands of Mr D’Mello is compensated.
We are an independent firm of expert personal injury lawyers with a specialist Daybrook Team helping victims to obtain justice for what has happened. We have particular expertise in representing victims pursuing claims for psychological injuries, which are prominent in these cases, and in representing clients for group action claims.
Call our team now on 0800 634 7575 for help and advice today.
