Members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee heard testimony this week regarding lapses in leadership and unhygienic practices at the Dayton VA Medical Centers dental clinic, where a dentist did not sterilize surgical instruments nor change gloves between patients and thus potentially exposing 535 patients to bloodborne pathogens.
Robert Petzel, the under secretary for health at the VA in Washington, D.C. placed the blame on dental clinic administration and leadership for not providing adequate oversight of this dentist who has since retired from practice.
In late April, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general released a…