PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Patients of a dental practice in Rittenhouse Square may have been exposed to blood-borne illnesses after state and city inspectors found unsanitary conditions at the office, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced Wednesday.
The notice is for patients of Smiles at Rittenhouse Square (also known as Smiles on the Square), located at 255 S. 17th St. — not to be confused with Rittenhouse Smiles, an unrelated practice in the same building.
Last week, the state suspended the license of the dentist practicing at Smiles at Rittenhouse Square due to “unsanitary practices.” Health department spokesperson Jim Garrow said the state received a complaint about the clinic and found that instruments were not sanitized properly, and there was re-use of supplies between patients. The office is now closed.
Health officials recommend that patients who were seen at the clinic between April 2025 and May 2026 get tested for hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV.
Officials believe the risk of infection is low. The city said there are no known infections at this time.
“These diseases are not super common in the public, and we don’t know of any cases associated with this clinic,” said Garrow. “But in the interest of safety, everyone who was a patient at this clinic should go and get tested and make sure and get that fear out of their head.”
The city is working on getting a list of patients seen in the last year so it can reach out individually. Garrow estimates the list is in the hundreds.
The dental practice will remain closed until the health department deems it safe.
Patients with questions can call the city’s hotline at 215-685-5488 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
KYW Newsradio has reached out to the clinic’s sole practitioner but has not yet received a response.
The state shut down Smiles at Rittenhouse Square due to ‘unsanitary practices’
The state shut down Smiles at Rittenhouse Square due to ‘unsanitary practices’
