A longtime dentist in Lehighton has surrendered his license to practice after failing to comply with federal guidelines.

On Jan. 18, the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry accepted the permanent voluntary surrender of the license to practice as a dentist in the commonwealth from William F. Tinsley, D.M.D.

Tinsley committed repeated acts of negligence, malpractice or incompetence by having failed to follow the infection control recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in his dental practice, or to ensure that auxiliary personnel and other supervisees followed these federal guidelines.

On Aug. 4, 2015, Professional Conduct Investigators conducted an investigation of the infection control practices at Tinsley’s dental office.

During the course of the inspection, the following conditions were found:

• Instruments placed at dental work stations prepared for use on patients were not taken from a sterile wrapper or had been prematurely moved from sterile wrapping.

• Instruments in active use with patients were placed on work surfaces without a protective covering.

• Numerous unwrapped, nonsterile instruments and dental burs were placed on nondisinfected surfaces and ready to be used during patient treatment throughout the office.

• Certain instruments were rusted, pitted or had evidence of corrosion.

• Spore testing had not been performed on a weekly basis.

Tinsley’s dental license is set to expire on March 31. He had held his dental license since July 18, 1975.

Tinsley’s last known office address is Carbon Dental Specialties, P.O. Box 98, Lehighton.