Former patients and the receptionist at a Brantford, Ont., dental clinic shut last fall over equipment sterilization lapses are speaking out after the public health unit issued a letter in recent weeks, urging people to get hepatitis and HIV testing. 

The Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) department ordered the closure of Dr. George Chan Dentistry, located at 353 St. Paul Ave., on Nov. 3. 

Lyn Portelli, who worked as a receptionist at the time, told CBC News she is the one who filed a complaint with the GEPH on Oct. 29, 2025. She said it led to the GEPH’s investigation, which was carried out by Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC).

According to the GEPH, the investigation found 15 lapses in the disinfection and sterilization of reusable instruments at Chan’s clinic.

Dr. Aviv Ouanounou, an associate professor in the University of Toronto’s faculty of dentistry, said that number of lapses would generally be considered significant.

“Temporary shutdowns are uncommon, but real and permanent closure … is extremely rare.”

A full report from March 18 is on the GEPH’s website.

CBC reached out to Chan for an interview about the investigation, but did not hear back by deadline.

‘I’m very anxious about it,’ patient says

In mid-March, patients who had received care at the clinic over the past four years began getting letters from GEPH that were dated Feb. 26, 2026. According to the IPAC report, the patient recall was initiated in March. 

Heather Harrington, Chan’s former patient, was on vacation when her husband sent her a photo of the letter. 

“I’m very anxious about it, especially knowing the possibilities that are there,” she told CBC News. 

Harrington and her sons, Reid and Case, had been patients up until last year.

“It’s something that I feel like a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old should never have to deal with,” she said.

According to a letter signed by Jason Malenfant, GEPH’s medical officer of health, patients “may have been exposed to dental instruments that were improperly sterilized. Instruments that are not sterilized correctly and are used during dental care can potentially spread infections, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and, less frequently, HIV.” 

Although the letter says overall risk of infection is low, it recommends that patients talk to their health-care providers or visit a walk-in clinic to discuss testing to detect possible infection.

Another letter, which was enclosed with the patient letter, is addressed to health-care providers to outline the recommended testing.

Ouanounou said it’s not routine for health units to send such letters, asking patients to be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. They’re only issued when there’s an IPAC lapse with potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens, he told CBC News in an email.

When CBC News reached out to GEPH to find out how many patients were affected, the health unit replied: “GEPH has no additional information to provide beyond what is publicly available on our website in the IPAC lapse report.”

But according to Portelli, hundreds of patients may have been impacted.

Receptionist says she contacted public health

Portelli began working for Chan in November 2024 but said she didn’t notice anything amiss. 

“He seemed to have a long-standing good practice. He had good reviews. I hadn’t heard anything in the dental work world negative about him.”

She said Chan and his assistant didn’t allow her in the clinical area.

On the afternoon of Oct. 28, Portelli decided to investigate one of the patient rooms after Chan’s assistant left the clinic to go to the grocery store. That’s when she said she found loose instruments in a drawer that weren’t stored in sterilized packages.

According to the IPAC report, one of the lapses was the improper storage of sterilized items, for example, impression trays cleaned and sterilized, but not stored in sterilized packages.

The report also says clean and sterile instruments were observed to be stored loose and unpackaged in operatory rooms. 

You trust these people when you go to them that …  you’re in good hands.– Lyn Portelli, former receptionist and former patient

Portelli said she also found composites used for fillings that had expired in 2014, and a topical anesthetic — a gel rubbed on the gums before a needle is used to freeze the patient’s mouth — which had expired in 2007.

Portelli said that the next morning, on Oct. 29, she called GEPH and reported her findings. 

After an investigation by IPAC on Nov. 3, the health unit shut down the clinic.

Portelli said that after health officials left, Chan asked her to cancel the rest of the patients for the day. She wasn’t officially let go, but the clinic closed the same day. Portelli is currently searching for a new job. 

Although the clinic closed at the beginning of November, patients didn’t receive letters from public health until mid-March. When CBC asked GEPH why patients didn’t receive letters until over four months later, the health unit said they had no additional information to provide on the investigation.

Portelli said both she and her elderly father were also Chan’s patients, so they will get tested.

“You trust these people when you go to them that …  you’re in good hands,” Portelli said.

Justin Currie, Chan’s patient for about 22 years, said he’s worried about himself and his girlfriend. Although she wasn’t Chan’s patient, Currie fears that if testing indicates he has any infection, he might have passed it on to her. 

Andrew Dukeshire said he never used Chan as a dentist but his wife and children have been longtime patients, so they all went for testing.

“My kids are in danger, my wife’s in danger, I’m in danger,” Dukeshire said.

The Dukeshires are still awaiting their test results.

Harrington says she feels sick about the risk to both her and her sons. “My 14-year-old was questioning and googling like, ‘can you die from HIV? What does hepatitis do to you?’ It’s things that kids should never have to be scared about.”

What the dental college says about Chan

According to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO), the regulatory body for dentists in the province, Chan is listed as still entitled to practice. He’s been registered since 1986.

On July 7, 2005, Dr. George Chan Dentistry Professional Corporation was given a certificate of authorization issuance that’s listed as being active.

The RCDSO confirmed to CBC News in a statement that it is looking into the GEPH report on Chan’s clinic.

All infection prevention and control (IPAC)-related complaints reported are investigated, and where infractions are identified, information is shared publicly and impacted parties are notified.– Grand Erie Public Health

“The college has the authority to investigate and take appropriate action based on concerns that occurred during the time that a dentist has an active certificate of registration,” it said. “It does not depend on the current licensure status or work circumstances of the dentist. In other words, a dentist may not be practising and still be registered, but if they were practising when a concern occurred, the college may investigate.”

Public health units have a duty to refer complaints regarding infection prevention and control practices to regulatory bodies such as the RCDSO.

GEPH also responded to CBC News’s request for comment, but didn’t comment specifically on Chan’s clinic.

“All infection prevention and control (IPAC)-related complaints reported are investigated, and where infractions are identified, information is shared publicly and impacted parties are notified. GEPH is committed to ensuring compliance with the Ontario Public Health standards,” the health unit said in a statement.

Dr. Jeya Nadarajah, a physician lead at Public Health Ontario, said IPAC investigations are reactive and mostly complaint-based.

“Public health guidance, really, it only works if there’s ownership taken to go after it and ensure that we’re all practising that way. So I think that’s the best way to prevent instances like this from happening. And we have evidence that an IPAC-informed environment does very well in terms of reducing the transmission of infections,” Nadarajah said.

‘Can I trust the dentist?’

Ouanounou said a clinic shutdown for over 15 lapses in IPAC protocol is “devastating” for patients.

“I’m quite shocked that in 2026 we are dealing with situations like that … to treat patients with sub-standard infection control,” he said in an interview.

Speaking in general terms, he said a dentist may not follow proper IPAC protocol for several reasons, including lack of up-to-date training, time pressure, workflow issues and cost.

“None of these, of course, justifies non-compliance, obviously,” Ouanounou said.

“We are dealing with blood, with saliva, we are dealing with cross-contamination … If you leave the blood there and we didn’t clean it, we didn’t wipe it, the potential virus can live for about 24 to 48 hours.”

Another concern is the potential erosion of patient trust.

Dukeshire said he won’t avoid dentists in the future, but what lingers in his mind is: “Can I trust the dentist? Can I trust my medical professionals? Can I trust the blood lab that I was at?”

Ouanounou said patients can check to see if their dentist is following proper protocol when it comes to hygiene, including:

• Observing the dental office, including the reception area and patient rooms.  “The treatment room should look clean between patients with surfaces wiped down. You should look at your dentist, what he or she is doing.” 
• Observe if dentists wash their hands after entering the room, if they’re wearing gloves, and using hand sanitizer and proper protective equipment, such as masks, gloves and eye protection.
• Look at dental instruments to ensure they are in a sealed sterilized package. If instruments are open, question the dentist.

If the dentist or clinic isn’t open to answering questions from patients, that’s another red flag to watch out for, said Ouanounou.

Nadarajah suggests that if a patient observes a concerning practice, to speak to the dentist or hygienist first in order to understand it. “If you’re further concerned, consider reporting to your regulatory college or to your local public health unit.”