May 26, 2026
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Smiles at Rittenhouse patients are being advised to undergo testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C after the licenses of Dr. Kirti Chopra was suspended for unsanitary practices. A lawyer says she has fielded calls from about 20 of the dental practice's concerned patients.
A Philadelphia attorney says her phone has been buzzing with calls from patients who received treatment from the Rittenhouse Square dentist whose license was suspended earlier this month.
The city's health department is recommending that patients of Smiles at Rittenhouse, run by Dr. Kirti Chopra, be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C due to "unsanitary practices."
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Attorney Morgan Kendall said she has fielded calls from about 20 patients.
"They're beside themselves," Kendall said. "I feel horrible when I speak to them."
But there is no legal recourse unless someone tests positive for an infection, Kendall said.
"We would need to show that there was a real exposure, and that's not to diminish what these patients have gone through," Kendall said. "It's truly horrific. I mean, just the fear alone is just unimaginable."
One of those patients, G.W., said that, for her, the worst aspect is the "violation of trust."
G.W., who asked that PhillyVoice only use her initials for privacy reasons, said she had avoided dentists for decades, because she was sexually abused by one as a child. But last fall, she said she felt it was time to get long-needed dental work done. A local oral surgeon recommended Chopra, because she could do everything from root canals to crowns, G.W. said.
G.W. said she underwent extensive dental work, including six crowns, that cost about $9,000.
"I told her (Chopra) about my history, so she knew I had big issues, and she was totally like, 'You can trust me,'" G.W. said. "'I want to be your dentist for life. I'll give you breaks whenever you want.' She just really held my hand, and she was great. We had a great rapport."
But then she received news that Chopra's license had been temporarily suspended and she was recommended to receive testing for infectious diseases.
"I felt like somebody hit me upside the head with a 2-by-4," G.W. said. "I just felt so violated, that was the worst of it. And then I got pissed. I sent her an email, and I told her, 'I'm so aghast.'"
The Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry suspended Chopra's license May 15 after an unannounced investigative visit to her practice in March to check on her infection control practices. Chopra told state investigators that she occasionally reused single-use vials of anesthesia, risking infection of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C at her practice, court documents show. Chopra also did not replace saline bags used during implant procedures until they were empty and did not follow other sterilization guidelines, further increasing the risk of infectious disease transmission.
Last week, city health officials said they do not know of any infections and believe the risk is low. On Tuesday, a health department spokesperson said there were no updates to the situation.
Chopra did not respond to emailed questions, and someone who answered the phone at her practice Tuesday declined to comment. Chopra will have a preliminary hearing within 30 days of the suspension of her license, according to the state's filing.
"Dr. Chopra will continue working cooperatively with public-health officials regarding patient notification, testing recommendations, and any required infection-control remediation," her attorney said last week in a statement to CBS. "Because this matter is also the subject of an active regulatory proceeding, Dr. Chopra will not litigate the facts through the media."
In the meantime, the fallout continues.
Dr. Andrea Cronin, who has a separate dental practice in the same building as Chopra's, said she is worried about confusion between the names of her practice, Rittenhouse Smiles. Her practice is in suite 2306. Chopra's shuttered practice, Smiles at Rittenhouse, is in suite 2507.
Last week, the city's health department clarified this, saying Rittenhouse Smiles patients "are not affected by this situation, do not need to seek out testing, and no evidence of unsafe or unsanitary practices has been found at that clinic."
"I'm so grateful because I feel like my patients all have called to tell me they know it wasn't me, and how amazing I am, and how they know how detailed I am, and 'Oh, Dr. Cronin, we know it couldn't be you, but the name really freaked us out," Cronin said. "We didn't know there was another name similar to yours.
Cronin has owned her practice for 14 years. She said she is confident her established patients will recognize the difference, but she is concerned that new patients looking for dentists might confuse her practice with Chopra's.
Patients of Smiles at Rittenhouse Square who have questions can call a special city health department hotline at (215) 685-5488, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
