A Center City dentist is reopening her practice this week after correcting infection-control lapses that health inspectors say put patients at risk of HIV and other communicable diseases.
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Kirti Chopra’s license was temporarily suspended in May after an inspection by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health found she was not following sterilization protocol.
She was ordered to temporarily close her practice, Smiles at Rittenhouse Square, located at 255 S. 17th St., Suite 2507. The practice is also known as Smiles on the Square.
The Pennsylvania Board of Dentistry reinstated her license under probation earlier this month after she agreed to four years’ probation anda $10,000 civil fine, plus about $4,400 in fees to cover the cost of the investigation.
Chopra told The Inquirer she resumed seeing patients on Thursday.
Chopra also hired a consultant to oversee infection-control improvements, including new policies for storing sterile supplies and staff training on sanitation protocol.
“I will work tirelessly to rebuild trust with my patients and demonstrate accountability,” Chopra said in a statement.
She said she was “deeply sorry” to her patients and grateful to the health department for working with her to reopen.
Sterilization problems lead to shutdown
The Philadelphia health department said Thursday its recommendations had been “satisfactorily implemented.”
“We are not opposed to the practice reopening, subject to continued compliance with their agreement with the state,” James Garrow, deputy health commissioner, said in a statement.
In March, the health department had cited the clinic for reusing saline bags and vials of septocaine, a local anesthetic, that were supposed to be thrown out after having been used on a patient.
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Reusing these types of single-use medical supplies can expose patients to HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and other diseases that are transmitted through blood or saliva.
She was ordered to shut down the practice in May, when the Pennsylvania Department of State temporarily suspended her license pending an investigation by the dentistry board.
The Philadelphia health department in May issued a public notice urging Chopra’s patients to get tested for HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B.
Reopening with safety improvements
In an interview with The Inquirer, Chopra said she began addressing the health department’s concerns immediately after the March citation.
She overhauled sanitation policies, set up new procedures to ensure used dental tools are kept separate from sterile instruments, and purchased a new ultrasonic cleaner. The independent consultant she hired to oversee that work will conduct quarterly inspections, she said.
“The goal is to not look at the past but outlook at the future, and the future is to provide quality care to my patients,” Chopra said. “This is the most humbling experience of my life, and I’ve learned my lesson the hard way.”
Chopra has been licensed to practice dentistry in Pennsylvania since 2021 and purchased her Rittenhouse Square practice in April 2025.
Staff were trained on the new protocols and equipment, and Chopra plans to work with Learn2Prevent, a dental compliance and education company, to provide annual infection-control training.
Under her agreement with the Pennsylvania Board of Dentistry, Chopra’s practice will be monitored for infection-control safety and is subject to unannounced inspections.