Dentist may have exposed thousands to HIV, hepatitis
Authorities urged patients to get tested due to "poor infection control practices" at the Australian clinic.
ground.newsHere’s the latest available information I can provide about dentist Dr William Tam of Strathfield.
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What happened: NSW health authorities issued a public health alert advising thousands of Dr Tam’s former patients to get tested for bloodborne viruses (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV) after concerns identified at an infection-control audit of his Strathfield clinic. Dr Tam is retired and no longer a registered dentist, and authorities say the risk to individuals is considered low though testing is advised as a precaution. This summary is based on multiple contemporary Australian news reports and NSW Health communications published in May 2026. [Recent reports indicate the Strathfield clinic audit raised deficiencies in sterilisation and cleaning practices and in patient record-keeping, which prompted the public health alert.][1][2][3]
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Scope and response: NSW Health and the Dental Council of NSW coordinated the response, with health districts contacting former patients via public alerts due to lack of records to directly reach individuals. The warnings apply to patients treated over the past approximately 25 years. Public guidance emphasized that while the overall risk is low, testing is prudent given the potential exposure window.[3][9]
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Public communications: Coverage from major Australian outlets and NSW Health corroborates that the issue centers on infection-control practices at the Strathfield practice, Dr Tam’s retirement shortly after the audit, and the difficulty of contacting former patients because of record-keeping gaps. Public health messaging has focused on testing rather than implying definitive exposure for every patient.[2][7][9]
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Additional context: Several outlets reported estimated exposure numbers in the low-to-mid thousands, with some stories citing thousands of patients potentially affected. NSW Health and local health district officials have framed this as a precautionary testing campaign rather than confirmation of transmission.[4][7][9]
If you’d like, I can compile a concise timeline of events and provide direct quotes from NSW Health advisories and reputable news reports, or summarize actions you should take if you think you may have been a patient at that Strathfield clinic. I can also help you assess the reliability of the various sources and point you to official contact channels for testing information.