Virus claim dentist Desmond D'Mello volunteers to stop working

A dentist whose alleged poor hygiene sparked the "biggest recall in NHS history" has volunteered to stop working in the UK.

Desmond D'Mello's alleged failings include reusing dirty gloves on different patients and failing to decontaminate dental instruments.

Some 22,000 former patients of his Nottinghamshire practice were recalled.

He is now seeking voluntary "erasure" from the General Dental Council (GDC) register.

The GDC has not yet made a decision on his application and Mr D'Mello continues to be suspended while he is investigated.

A GDC document states the case against Mr D'Mello is "serious" and his alleged cross infection failures were "wide ranging, persistent and are described as wilful".

"He allegedly placed his patients at risk, including children and the elderly," the document states.

Thousands of his former patients have been tested for blood borne viruses, and five tested positive for hepatitis C.

One of his patients, Amy Duffield, died shortly after treatment, but a coroner concluded her death was not connected to the treatment.

Mr D'Mello was first registered to work in December 1977 after qualifying from a dentistry course in Manchester.

Concerns about him were raised after his associate dentist covertly filmed him from 3 to 6 June last year.

The recording suggests Mr D'Mello was failing to implement what the GDC describes as "appropriate cross infection control".

As well as reusing dirty gloves and not decontaminating dental instruments, Mr D'Mello's alleged failings include not wiping down surfaces between patients, and placing dirty instruments on patient record cards before reusing them.

He was suspended for 18 months on 27 August 2014.

A review hearing was held on 10 July and the committee decided his suspension should continue until 26 February 2016.