Health Department warning patients of former Deer Park dentist Sandy Montano to get tested for viral hepatitis and HIV

The Department of Health is warning patients of a former Deer Park dentist to get tested for viral hepatitis and HIV.

The dentistry license of Dr. Sandy Montano was revoked earlier this year after a state investigation found Montano allegedly did not properly clean or disinfect medical equipment and reused disposable equipment.

Patients who received treatment from Montano at the Deer Park Dental Clinic may have been exposed to bloodborne disease between November 2021 and June 2022.

No disease transmission has been reported, and the risk of a former patient contracting a disease is “believed to be low,” according to a Department of Health report. Still, the state agency recommends those who received care from Montano to contact their primary health care provider to arrange for testing.

Montano’s Deer Park Dental Clinic closed in the summer of 2022. There is an existing dental clinic in Deer Park with a similar business name that is unaffiliated with Montano’s clinic.

An investigation into the dentist was opened in November 2021, and the license of Montano was suspended in June 2022. After a full investigation, his license was indefinitely revoked in April.

According to the allegations made in the DOH investigation, Montano at times did not wear gloves while working with patients or wore used, dirty or damaged gloves. Montano allegedly retrieved single-use X-ray barriers, towels and suctions from the trash for reuse. Suction devises were allegedly soaked in paint thinner and Ajax cleaning solution. Montano also allegedly employed a dental assistant who was not licensed to perform tasks and procedures that require one.

In news releases made over the past several years, Montano denies all these allegations.

“I want to assure my patients and the community that I am taking all necessary steps to clear my name and to continue providing the quality dental care I have always been known for,” Montano said in a 2021 change.org petition.

Montano spokesperson Reshauna Striggles told The Spokesman-Review that the state’s warnings are unwarranted.

According to Montano, the allegations were made by three former employees embezzling funds. Upon discovering this alleged misconduct, Montano claims he saw these employees planting false evidence of his office’s unsanitary practices.

Montano refused to allow investigators to inspect his clinic in December 2021, according to the Department of Health. Montano claims he cooperated with the unannounced inspection and was told no violations were found.

“There have been no patients that have come out about unsanitary conditions,” Striggles said.

Joellyn Richards-Martel claims to have been a patient of Montano in January 2020 at a different dental clinic. She does not recall any unsanitary conditions while receiving treatment for a gum and jawbone infection that eventually led to the removal of all her teeth.

“I was in extreme pain, so anything that was going, I wouldn’t have noticed. But I will say that after receiving his care, my mouth is completely messed up,” she said.

Richards-Martel was not aware of Montano’s allegations until the DOH statement Wednesday.

“I am floored. I am horrified,” she said.

Even though Richards-Martel did not attend the Deer Park Dental clinic, she and her husband plan to get tested for hepatitis and HIV.

“If he was being irresponsible there, why wouldn’t he be irresponsible before that?” she asked.

Although Montano has practiced dentistry throughout the state, health officials do not have evidence of misconduct outside of his time at Deer Park Dental Clinic. Former patients from clinics he practiced at before November 2021 should speak with their health care provider about potential risks to decide whether to seek testing.

Because Montano allegedly refused to participate in the investigation, the Department of Health does not have a list of his patients and is unable to individually notify those affected.

Asked why the Department of Health is only now releasing a public notification encouraging former patients to receive testing, spokesperson Mark Johnson said it was determined patients needed to be notified after the investigation was completed.

The Department of Health did provide a public notification of the case in June 2022, but it did not include this recommendation.

“Once the investigation was fully complete, it was determined that the risk was significant enough to warrant patient notification and recommendation for testing out of an abundance of caution,” he said. “Typically, patients’ notifications are initiated by the facility or provider. In this instance, the provider was noncompliant.”

Montano claims that the former employees who filed the complaint changed the passwords to all his business and social media accounts, so he no longer has access to his patients’ electronic records.

Bloodborne diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV may not cause symptoms for years following infection. Individuals can spread these diseases even while asymptomatic. Laboratory testing of blood is the only way to be certain of infection.