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Anyone else see this?
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/science_hbv_dental.asp said:A case report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases documents the first patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in a dental office. The case report was publicized with an online press release and is expected to receive additional news coverage in the near future.
The New Mexico Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted an epidemiological investigation of a 60-year-old woman (index patient) with acute hepatitis B, who reported no history of hepatitis B vaccination and no traditional risk factors for HBV infection (i.e., sexual activity, intravenous drug use).
They concluded that the source of HBV infection was a chronically infected 36-year-old woman who had undergone an extraction procedure less than three hours before the index patient had undergone a similar extraction procedure in the same oral surgery operatory. The source patient had been infected with HBV since at least 1999, and serologic testing confirmed that the patient had chronic hepatitis B with a high viral load when she was treated. DNA sequencing of the viruses in both women confirmed that the younger patient was the source of HBV infection.
Serologic evidence of HBV infection was not identified in any of the dental office employees. There was a high prevalence (64%) of HBV-vaccinated patients treated at the oral surgeon's office after the source patient on the same day, which likely limited the transmission of HBV.
The investigation could not determine how the patient-to-patient HBV transmission occurred, as the oral surgery office followed standard infection control precautions. The authors indicate that the actual mechanism of the patient-to-patient transmission will likely remain unknown, but that universal HBV vaccination may have prevented the infection in both the source and the index patients. The HBV-infected index patient has since recovered from her infection.
Hepatitis B is a bloodborne pathogen and an occupational risk to individuals who have exposure to blood, blood products or other bodily fluids. Less than one percent of the U.S. population carries the hepatitis B virus, and the infection resolves in the majority of those infected. Approximately 5 percent of HBV-infected individuals develop chronic active hepatitis, which causes over 5,000 deaths in the U.S. each year from liver failure.
Historically, the dental profession has maintained a solid record of patient and provider safety in infection control, HBV vaccination of dental office personnel, and adherence to standard precautions. It is important to emphasize that the reported hepatitis B infection is the only documented case of patient-to-patient transmission of HBV in a dental setting. Standard precautions are designed to limit the risk of cross-contamination in every patient interaction, and consider any patient to be a potential source of infection.
The ADA strongly encourages all dental professionals to employ and closely adhere to standard infection control procedures for all patients, as presented in the 2003 CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health Care Settings. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled. (OSHA) requires that employers shall make available the hepatitis B vaccine and vaccination series to all employees who have occupational exposure. Lastly, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled. recommends hepatitis B vaccination for all children and adolescents under 19 years of age as the most effective measure to prevent HBV infection.
