On Oct. 7, we posted a CBS article about children contracting Lymphadenitis from Jonesboro, Georgia’s Dentistry for Children to our Facebook page. The article said the bacterial infection, which presented with sores in the mouth and swollen lymph nodes, was attributed to contaminated medical equipment used by the dentistry. Because the information came from a news source, those reading the article took it as truth, and we received heated comments from some of our followers bashing the assistants and blaming the staff for the low-quality standards.
Kristen Collins, who identifies herself on Facebook as the Dentistry for Children’s lead hygienist, also commented on the thread, saying “The situation was out of the company’s control and was an environmental issue not a OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) related or employee contamination issue. Anyone that is interested in learning the facts is more than welcome to contact the GDPH (Georgia Department of Public Health) and get them. This issue can happen to any dental office that uses the city water. The water issue has been corrected.”
What followed in her post was the official statement from Dentistry for Children: “After more than 30 years of serving Jonesboro families, Dentistry for Children was alarmed to discover that the water in our Jonesboro clinic may have played a role in the recent infection of a small group of our patients. Since it was discovered, we notified and have been working closely with the Georgia Dept. of Public Health. The Department has determined that the bacteria is most commonly found in water, soil and dust, and in rare cases can cause mouth sores and discomfort. To date, neither our internal evaluation nor the evaluation from the Georgia Department of Public Health has found evidence of contamination at the Jonesboro facility. Furthermore, the previous water systems designed and used for dental procedures at this facility meet or exceed the industry standards required for dental offices. In fact, the Georgia Department of Public Health never asked us to close the Jonesboro office. However, as part of our commitment to providing quality service to our patients, we temporarily closed the Jonesboro location to install an enhanced water filtration system to eliminate any potential risks from the water supply. The health of our patients and staff are our most important missions. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.”
After reading Collins’ comment, we at Dental Temps Professional Services wanted to get to the bottom of this, as accusing a dentistry of causing bacterial infections with contaminated equipment is a pretty serious allegation.
On Friday, I called the Georgia Department of Public Health and spoke with epidemiologist Laura Edison to get some answers. While Edison said the case is still under investigation, she said preliminary data suggests microbes causing Lymphadenitis were found in the water source and added that the same microbes can also be found in dirt or air. Similar outbreaks have been documented in other health care settings, she said, including an allergy clinic where doctors used water to dilute injection medications. Mycobacteria commonly adhere to water pipes forming a biofilm, but if the biofilm doesn’t break away from the pipe, it might never lead to infection. Water lines from the dental clinic have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing.
DPH spokesperson Nancy Nydam said Dentistry for Children is cooperating with investigators and has implemented recommended measures to prevent infections, including installing a new water filtration system.
The cluster of children identified with cervical and/or submandibular lymphadenitis had a history of invasive procedures like deciduous tooth removal or pulpotomy with crown placement, she said. “Mycobacteria are naturally occurring in water and soil and air, but most people don’t have a problem with it,” she said adding that those with open wounds or incision sites are more likely to contract Lymphadenitis as the open areas allow the bacteria to get into the body.
Lymphadenitis could be treated with certain antibiotics or in some cases surgery. “Dentistry for Children has gone back several months to identify patients who received the procedures to be sure they are evaluated and get proper treatment if they have symptoms of Lymphadenitis or oral abscesses,” Nydam said.
In our next post, we’ll talk with Dentistry for Children to see what office employees have done since cases of Lymphadenitis were linked to their practice.
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