Chennai: Tamil Nadu Dental Council has said it will initiate proceedings against a dentist in Vaniyambadi after The Lancet report linked eight patient deaths in 2023 to neuromyeloidosis, a bacterial brain infection contracted at his clinic in Tirupattur district. The dentist, Dr S Arivarasan, however, said the samples the authors picked may not be an indication of “negligence” or “unhygienic” practices, and there is no ban on him opening new clinics or practising dentistry.On Friday, state dental council executive committee member Dr J Baby John said the council will inquire about the incident. “We have not received any complaints from patients, their attenders, or govt agencies so far. We came to know about this only from the TOI news report. We will initiate an inquiry based on the report,” he said.An investigation report by a team of doctors at CMC Vellore, ICMR-NIE, and Tamil Nadu directorate of public health published in the medical journal revealed an unsterile surgical instrument called a periosteal elevator was used to open a saline bottle, which was then loosely sealed and reused for at least 10 people, who all contracted the infection. The authors said the 80% fatality in 2023 may be because the bacteria in the saline travelled directly along nerve pathways when used to clean the patients’ mouths during procedures, rather than through the bloodstream.Dr Arivarasan, who was practising in VTS Dental Clinic until Dec 2024, moved into Arivu Dental Clinic in Jan. He continues to practice dentistry in his new clinic, he told TOI. “The VTS clinic was closed for two months in 2023 after an allegation against me by a patient’s relative. Samples from my clinic were drawn during this period. I was neither told it was for scientific research, nor were they sharing results with me. I reopened the clinic two months later after the joint director of public health gave me a clean chit. The only feedback I got from the team was a recommendation to use a disposable saline bottle. I do that,” he told TOI. “There is no ban on me to practice,” he said. Tirupattur joint director of public health Dr V Gnana Meenakshi said she submitted a detailed report to the collector on the action taken against the dentist and the clinic, but refused to reveal further details. Tirupattur collector K Sivasoundaravalli did not respond to calls or messages. Officials in the state DMS, in charge of registering clinics under the Clinical Establishment Act, said they were still gathering details from the district. Meanwhile, the Indian Dental Association has told the council that further investigations were required as researchers drew samples from a clinic that was closed for more than two months. Scientists, including officials from the state directorate of public health, have said that they found the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei in saline samples. “It’s not unusual, but we don’t know when it was contaminated. There is nothing to prove that this led to the deaths,” said IDA state secretary Dr K P Senthamarai Kannan.Vellore: Christian Medical College said the govt health authorities have contained the outbreak of neuromeliodosis with 10 just cases in the state. The CMC in a press release said this reflects on the strong public health system of Tamil Nadu through collaborative efforts with the scientific teams at NIE, Chennai, and CMC Vellore. “There were 21 cases identified through active and passive case searches with the help of district public health authorities. Of 21 cases, 11 were sporadic exposure to surface water and agricultural activities and 10 had undergone dental procedures. The dental clinic in Tirupattur was investigated to identify the source of contamination, and the bacteria were isolated from an in-use daline bottle,” said the release. “The outbreak was controlled with 10 cases, immediately after recognition, and no further fatalities were reported. In cases without any history of dental procedures, increased exposure to soil or water in agricultural fields might have led to the development of the disease,” said the release