CDSBC seizes dentistry equipment from David Wu
Fraser Health Authority advises all clients of David Wu to be tested for Hepatitis B and C as well as HIV.
Burnaby illegal dentist David Wu may have exposed his 1,500 clients to infectious diseases, according to the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia.
The College received a complaint from a female client of David Wu, also known as Tung Sheng Wu. The College hired a private investigator to gather information about Wu’s alleged dental practice.
As a result of the investigation, the College obtained a court order and on May 29 seized dental equipment from a residence on Southwood Street in Burnaby. According to the College, the equipment did not meet Health Canada standards and posed severe health hazard to patients.
“Because Mr. Wu was not a licensed dentist and because he was not following the infection control procedures expected of a licensed dentist, we believe there is sufficient risk of exposure to blood-borne viruses to recommend testing for all clients,” said Dr. Michelle Murti, medical health officer of Fraser Health Authority.
“All dentists registered with CDSBC are required to adhere to the standards we set for quality patient care. The material seized from Mr. Wu’s residence does not come close to meeting our standards for infection control, which leads us to believe that he has put his clients’ health at risk for his own gain,” explained Dr. Peter Stevenson-Moore, president of the College of Dental Surgeons of BC.
Investigators discovered a dental office in a bedroom as well as 1,500 client files. According to the College, the dental practice of David Wu do not comply with infection prevention and control requirements.
Health officials suspect that David Wu may have been practicing as early as the 1990s out of a residence in Port Moody before setting up in Burnaby, and had built up his clientele by word-of-mouth within the Chinese-Canadian community.
The CDSBC will pursue its case against Wu and advises patients to stay safe by using its online directory of registered dentists in BC
“Mr. Wu is neither licensed nor competent to practice dentistry. If you received treatment from him, we urge you to visit a real dentist to have any unsafe materials he used removed and to get proper dental treatment,” said Jerome Marburg, registrar and chief executive officer of CDSBC.
Fraser Health Authority has issued an alert advising all of Wu’s patients to undergo screening for Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Patients may call Fraser Health Authority’s toll-free hotline at 1-855-895-7425 and seek testing information from the public health nurse.
Letters are also being sent to clients under Wu’s seized records advising them to undergo testing.
The College confirmed that Wu is not a registered dentist and has no relation to any of the Dr. Wu’s who have or are registered with the College.
The College says that Wu is not the Dr. David H. Wu who formerly practised out of an office on Hastings Street in Burnaby nor the the Dr. Tung-Yi Wu who currently practises on Cambie Street in Vancouver.
Burnaby illegal dentist and Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a preventable liver disease. It ranges in severity from a mild illness, lasting a few weeks, to a serious long-term illness that can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.
About ninety per cent of adults who become infected with hepatitis B completely recover from the infection after approximately six months. During this time of acute infection, people can either be symptom free or get sick with signs and symptoms such as: feeling very tired, mild fever, headache, not wanting to eat, feeling sick to your stomach or vomiting, belly pain, diarrhea or constipation, muscle aches and joint pain, skin rash and yellowing of the skin and eyeballs (jaundice).
Burnaby illegal dentist and Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a preventable disease of the liver. Symptoms of acute hepatitis C infection can include: feeling very tired, joint pain, belly pain, itchy skin, sore muscles, dark urine and yellowing of the skin and eyeballs (jaundice). Since symptoms are commonly absent many people are unaware that they have hepatitis C until some time after they have been infected.
It is important to recognize that hepatitis C can cause a variety of symptoms that are highly variable – people with chronic hepatitis C can feel fine and have no symptoms, however others will suffer from quite severe symptoms.
Burnaby illegal dentist and HIV
HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, the body’s natural defense system. Without a strong immune system, the body has trouble fighting off disease. Both the virus and the infection it causes are called HIV.
White blood cells are an important part of the immune system. HIV invades and destroys certain white blood cells and if too many white blood cells are destroyed, the body can no longer defend itself against infection.
Without treatment, HIV infection progresses and when advanced, AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) can develop. Having HIV does not mean you have AIDS. Even without treatment, it takes a long time for HIV to progress to AIDS—usually 10 to 12 years. If HIV is diagnosed before it becomes AIDS, medicines can slow or stop the damage to the immune system and AIDS may not develop. With treatment, many people with HIV live long and active lives.
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