A dentist whose surgery hygiene standards sparked a major health scare has had a string of malpractice allegations against him proven.
Desmond D’Mello prompted a mass blood screening of patients after a whistleblower exposed the poor levels of cleanliness at his practice.
More than 22,000 patients were recalled after he was secretly filmed breaching clinical standards at the Daybrook Dental Practice in Gedling, Nottinghamshire, over the course of three days in 2014.
A conduct hearing at the General Dental Council in London found scores of allegations against him, included failing to change gloves between patients and not putting on a new surgical mask for each patient.
All but one of more than 50 allegations against him were proved, the panel found. Mr D’Mello, who had been a dentist for nearly 38 years and began his own practice in 1980, still faces a final ruling from the committee.
The panel said in its findings of fact: “Mr D’Mello was under a duty to maintain adequate infection control for patients and staff.
“Mr D’Mello’s actions… were a departure from this duty and, there, constituted a failure to maintain adequate infection controls.”
When the whistleblower’s footage was shown to horrified health bosses, 22,000 patients listed on the practice database were written to and offered blood testing, with around 6,000 coming forward.
It is believed to be the largest recall in NHS England’s history, and screenings were offered for blood-borne viruses including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Of the patients who came forward, 4,526 patients of Mr D’Mello were tested, five of whom were found to have hepatitis C. None were found with HIV or hepatitis B.
Due to the multiple ways in which these infections can be transmitted, however, it is not possible to identify how those with hepatitis C caught it.
Ms Surgey spoke of how Mr D’Mello insisted on seeing “massive amounts of patients”, sometimes seeing up to four in the space of 15 minutes.
One witness had previously described to the panel the “filthy” state of D’Mello’s surgery and how she had been rebuked by him for cleaning too much.
The hearing heard on its opening day how an investigation determined there had been “very few glove repurchases” in the surgery and the witness later told how she had once found a soiled glove stuffed into a box for new ones.
Mr D’Mello did not attend the hearing, instead opting to write to the committee last week to express his “total shock” at the allegations, the handling of which he said was “humiliating”.
The former dentist had a contract for the NHS for the financial year 2014-15 worth nearly £675,000, but was suspended when the allegations were made on June 13 2014.