Miami Herald (MH) - Sunday, July 21, 1991
Susan L. Spencer; Herald Writer

The two dentists each had tested negative for HIV infection and they both used the most high-tech sterilization equipment available. They also had matching wedding bands.

Drs. Debbie and Mark Davis are hitched. Their patients like that type of bonding.

"I think people actually inquire less frequently about our health when they find out we are married to each other," Debbie said. "I think they feel secure with us."

Even so, the Davises decided to post the negative results of their HIV-infection tests in the examining rooms. "We knew it was on everybody's mind," Debbie said.

Dentists are not required to take an HIV-infection test, but the Centers for Disease Control recently release new guidelines urging all health care workers to be tested for the AIDS virus. The CDC's recommendations follow months of debate provoked by the cases of five Floridians, including Kimberly Bergalis, infected with HIV by David Acer, a Stuart dentist who died with AIDS.

The national Academy of General Dentistry voted last Tuesday at its annual conference to follow the CDC's recommendations for strict infection-control procedures and no mandatory testing. But the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday for legislation that would make it a crime for HIV-infected health care workers to treat patients without notifying them.

Amid rising public concern, doctors and patients alike are proceeding with caution.

Loxahatchee resident John E. Roberts had not had a regular dentist for four years and he wanted to find one -- very carefully. He first telephoned some dental offices that he found in the yellow pages. He asked about each office's sterilization procedures and whether the dentist had taken an HIV test.

"I was determined to ask the questions and not feel embarrassed," Roberts said.

Some receptionists talked openly with Roberts about the health of the doctor and the office procedures, while others told him they could not speak for the doctor. Another testily asked him if he would take the test himself, Roberts said.

Roberts, a 34-year-old flight dispatcher with a wife and two children, finally decided to take his family to the office of the dentist who was the most open and willing to answer his questions. He chose Wellington's Dr. Steven Miller.

Roberts was told that the Army Reserve Corps regularly tests Miller because he is a reservist. Roberts also was told about the stringent sterilization procedures used in the office.

Miller's office is located next to the former office of Dr. Robert Engel, an orthodontist who announced last spring that he had AIDS and then closed his practice.

"Oh God," Roberts said when he first realized the location. He was soon reassured, though, by Miller and his staff. Roberts said he thinks they were more open and more helpful because of where they are located.

"They showed concern and went into more detail than necessary," Roberts said. "And they didn't make me feel uncomfortable -- that's why I chose them."

Philip Weintraub, a spokesman for the American Dental Association, said a prospective patient like Roberts should pay more attention to a dentist's infection-control procedures than to the result of the doctor's HIV-infection test. Someone who tests negative today may test positive tomorrow.

"Testing will not protect the public," Weintraub said. "Infection control will."

Dr. Sam McNeill, immediate past-president of the Central Palm Beach County Dental Association, agrees with Weintraub and speaks out against dentists who try to attract patients by advertising that they are "AIDS-free." In fact, he thinks legal action should be taken against those doctors who do.

McNeill was pleased when the San Francisco district attorney last month ordered two California dentists to stop advertising in newspapers that they were AIDS-free. When he recently received an advertisement from a new business offering to compile a list of AIDS-free dentists, he was outraged and asked the state attorney general's office to investigate.

The Miami-based business, Health Care Professionals, began advertising to South Florida dentists about four weeks ago. Dentists who test negative for HIV infection can register with the business and then have their names distributed when people call for a reference. Dentists pay $1,100 per year to register.

Assistant Attorney General Allen R. Grossman, who is investigating the business for possible consumer fraud, said he is concerned that doctors on the list could bad-mouth doctors who are not on it.

Grossman said it is too early to tell if Health Care Professionals offers a legitimate service to consumers or if it is trying to capitalize on people's fears.

Mark Guerin, the founder of the business, said he has "risked everything" to start this service to the public, but he did it because people "have the right to know about their dentist." Guerin, who works out of his Miami home, was unemployed before beginning the business.

CAPTION: PHOTO Drs. Mark and Debbie Davis use high-tech sterilization equipment in their practice (s)

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1991. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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