Tri-City residents may be among the patients treated by a Burnaby man believed to be practising dentistry illegally, according to Fraser Health.
And anyone who received services from Tung Sheng Wu, also known as David Wu, is encouraged to contact the health authority.
Dr. Michelle Murti, Fraser's medical health officer, said clients of Wu's should be be tested for Hepatitis B and C, and HIV because improperly sterilized equipment may have been used in their treatment.
"Based on on what we have seen now, there was significant infection-control issues where people may have been exposed and at risk," Murti said.
Patients are encouraged to call 1-855-895-7425, a toll-free number, and a nurse will arrange for them to be tested.
By Wednesday afternoon, Fraser Health had received some calls, possibly from former patients, Murti said, thanks to widespread media attention to the story.
The provincial College of Dental Surgeons of BC was alerted to Wu's practice through a complaint from a patient and obtained a court order to shut down his Burnaby home office on Southwood Street, where they seized 1,500 client files as well as dental equipment and supplies.
Wu may have been practising as far back as the 1990s and, prior to using the Burnaby location, was operating out of a residence in Port Moody.
Murti said anyone, no matter how far back they were treated, should give the nursing line a call and get tested because they may have contracted potentially life-threatening diseases without knowing it.
Children especially are at risk and files obtained from Wu's office suggest kids as young as four years old were treated, with about a third of his patients under the age of 18, Murti confirmed.
Although Fraser Health would like to be able to contact patients, few of the files contain contact information and all are written in Chinese. Consequently, Wu's patients are encouraged to self-refer, she said, noting, "That's why we're trying to spread the word."
Wu allegedly relied on word-of-mouth referrals and Murti is hoping friends and family members of Wu's clients will encourage their relatives to make the call if they used his dental services.
Nurses will set up blood tests with anyone who claims to have been a patient of Wu. If they have contracted Hep B, Hep C or HIV, there is no way of knowing that it was from Wu's office but they will be able to get proper treatment, Murti said, adding that there are a myriad of treatments for the diseases to help people gain control of the life-long disease.
"It's a precaution," Murti said, adding: "It's so people know their own status."
