Laboratory requisition for HBV, HCV, and HIV testing
Information below is for Ottawa Health Care Professionals only. If you are not a healthcare provider, please visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca/Lapse for information regarding the Infection Prevention and Control lapse at Legget Drive Dental.
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is providing this information as you may be approached by a patient for counselling and testing related to an infection prevention and control (IPAC) lapse at Legget Drive Dental located at 201- 555 Legget Drive in Ottawa (hereafter “the clinic”).
IPAC lapse description | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Following receipt of a complaint, OPH conducted an IPAC investigation that concluded that patients who received a dental procedure or dental cleaning at the clinic between September 1, 2016, and January 27, 2020, may have been exposed to improperly cleaned and/or sterilized instruments. For more information about the IPAC deficiencies identified during Ottawa Public Health’s investigation of this clinic, refer to the lapse report. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
OPH risk assessment and recommendations for testing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Undergoing a procedure using dental instruments that may have been improperly reprocessed carries a very small risk of acquiring blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV), and to a lesser extent, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although the risk of disease transmission is low, as a precaution, Ottawa Public Health recommends that patients who received a dental procedure or dental cleaning at Legget Drive Dental during September 1, 2016, - January 27, 2020, undergo testing for HBV, HCV, and HIV. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Patient notification | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Patients who received a dental procedure or dental cleaning at the clinic were identified by the clinic and were mailed an OPH-approved notification letter by the clinic. The notification letter instructs patients to bring the letter to their health care provider to discuss testing. The letter advises patients who are certain they did not undergo a dental procedure at the clinic and believe that they received the notification letter in error to ignore the patient notification letter. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To order testing for a patient potentially exposed to the IPAC lapse at Legget Drive Dental, please follow these instructions:
Timing of testingBased on established window periods of HBV, HCV, and HIV, a single test now (i.e., over 6 months after the potential exposure) with a negative result is sufficient to rule out infection.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interpretation of test results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hepatitis B*
* only performed if Anti-HBs and Anti-HBc (total) are positive AND the requisition indicates that the patient has symptoms Additional information: Primary Care Management of Hepatitis B – Quick Reference (HBV-QR) Module 3 Hepatitis C
HIV serological markers
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Patient resources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For more information about this IPAC lapse, patients can:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Healthcare provider resources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For more information about this IPAC lapse, healthcare professionals can contact OPH at (613) 580-6744 and select the option “I am a healthcare professional”. For more information about IPAC best practices, healthcare professionals can:
|
Additional resources on our website
Contact Us