Public Health officials are advising any patients treated at a Cawthra Road dental office in the last five years to get tested for blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis and HIV.

Peel Health issued a public notice Nov. 25, encouraging anyone who received care at Alforat Dental Center between February 2014 and Sept. 19, 2019 to be tested as a precaution.

After receiving a complaint, Peel Public Health inspected Alforat Dental Center at 2395 Cawthra Rd., Unit #1 in Mississauga and identified concerns with the cleaning, sterilization and storage of dental equipment, the notice said.

“The investigation identified several improper processes where we could not confirm the sterility of the dental equipment used at the clinic,” said Dr. Jessica Hopkins, medical officer of health for the Region of Peel, in a statement.

“As a precaution, we recommend that all clinic patients speak to their doctor about getting tested to rule out blood-borne infections,” Hopkins said.

The clinic was temporarily closed on Sept. 20. It reopened on Oct. 7, 2019 once the clinic demonstrated compliance with provincial infection prevention and control standards, according to health officials.

Although the risk of infection is considered low, patients are advised to talk to their doctor about getting tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

Current and previous patients of Alforat Dental Center are advised to download this lab requisition for blood work and bring it to their doctor or walk-in clinic. Additional information is available in the Q&A document and at peelregion.ca/dental-alert.