Failure of Gloves and Other Protective Devices to Prevent Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus to Oral Surgeons
- Arthur L. Reingold, MD;
- Mark A. Kane, MD, MPH;
- Allen W. Hightower, MS
- From the Department of Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley (Dr Reingold); and the Hepatitis Branch, Division of Viral Diseases (Dr Kane), and the Division of Bacterial Diseases (Mr Hightower), Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta.
Abstract
A survey of 434 oral surgeons was conducted to examine risk factors for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Overall, 112 (26%) of the participants demonstrated serologic evidence of past or current infection with HBV. Seropositivity was significantly associated with age, number of years in practice, and year of graduation from dental school but not with other variables examined, such as the number of patients seen annually or the number of patients seen who were at high risk of HBV infection. The strong correlation between years in practice and seropositivity was unaffected by reported use of gloves, face masks, or eye shields. The use of gloves and other protective devices does not appear to offer substantial protection against HBV exposure in oral surgeons, and all oral surgeons should receive HBV vaccine.
(JAMA 1988;259:2558-2560)
Footnotes
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The use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or the US Department of Health and Human Services.
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Reprint requests to Hepatitis Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333 (Dr Kane).
