A public appeal to identify thousands of patients who may have been exposed to dangerous bloodborne illnesses, such as HIV and hepatitis, has been triggered by a dentist's inadequate documentation.
Following an inspection by the NSW Dental Council in April, patients of former dentist William Tam, who worked at Strathfield in Sydney's inner-west for more than 25 years, are being encouraged to get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C.
The audit discovered inadequate and incomplete documents, as well as shortcomings in cleaning procedures and equipment sterilization, which have made it impossible for authorities to identify and get in touch with specific patients.
According to Zeina Najjar, a specialist in the NSW Public Health Unit, Tam's former patients who underwent invasive operations, such as blood draws or skin piercings, may be somewhat more susceptible to contracting a bloodborne virus, but this risk is still thought to be minimal.
According to Najjar, any former patient of Dr. Tam's is at a low risk of bloodborne virus transmission.
We are still advocating testing as a precaution, but there have been no incidents of bloodborne virus transmission due to this technique.
Since then, Tam has retired and is no longer a licensed dentist. However, Najjar noted that there is still a strong demand for testing because individuals who may have had any of these viruses may not exhibit any symptoms for decades.
The warning was issued a year after patrons of an inner Sydney beauty salon were cautioned that improper use of equipment could expose them to the same infections.
In March 2025, inspectors for the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission discovered that employees may have been injecting patients with botox, hyaluronic acid, and cosmetic fillers while posing as doctors.
According to the commission, a significant quantity of controlled medication and surgical equipment that was clearly designated as being for veterinary use exclusively were seized.
In October, NSW Health issued a similar warning following the discovery of possible infection breaches during an assessment of dentist Safuan Hasic's office.
On dental instruments, a bloodborne virus may have transferred from one patient to another. He advised all of his patients to get preventative testing from a general practitioner.
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