Dental infection with hepatitis B
S. V. Williams, C. P. Pattison and K. R. Berquist
We performed a prospective study to assess the risk of patients acquiring
infection following routine professional contact with two dentists
incubating type B viral hepatitis. Serum samples from patients exposed
during the six weeks before onset of hepatitis in the dentists were tested
for hepatitis B surface antigen and for antibody to the antigen shortly
after illness developed and again six months later. Household members of
exposed patients served as a control group. None of the exposed patients or
controls became ill with hepititis, and none developed antigen. Three of
the 237 exposed patients developed antibody, as did four of the 245
controls. The difference between exposed patients and controls was not
significant. These results do not support the hypothesis that these two
dentists transmitted infection to their patients.
