Document 0535
 DOCN  M9480535
 TI    Occupational risk and precautions related to HIV infection among
       dentists in the Lothian region of Scotland.
 DT    9410
 AU    Gore SM; Felix DH; Bird AG; Wray D; MRC Biostatistics Unit, Institute of
       Public Health, Cambridge,; U.K.
 SO    J Infect. 1994 Mar;28(2):209-22. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94308580
 AB    This retrospective study used a postal questionnaire to measure
       occupational risks and to assess infection control procedures among 310
       dental practitioners. The study comprised general dental practices in
       the Lothian region of Scotland, Lothian Health Board Community Dental
       Service and Edinburgh Dental Hospital. Altogether, 217 dental
       practitioners responded by the due date giving recall of inoculation
       injuries within the previous 5 years and infection control measures
       employed. The study revealed that 191 practitioners (88%) had completed
       a course of hepatitis B vaccination but one-third of them had not been
       tested for post-vaccination antibody. In 1991, two thirds of dentists
       (66%: 137 of 207 respondents) wore the same pair of gloves, and 80% of
       dentists (142 of 177 respondents) wore the same mask, for dealing with
       more than one patient. The usual practice was to change gloves during
       sessions (44%: out of 71 dentists) and to change masks for each session
       or less often (75%: 73 out of 97 dentists). The proportion of dentists
       who never used gloves fell from 56% in 1981 to 1% in 1991. An autoclave
       was used for sterilisation by 85% of practitioners in 1991. Reported
       non-sterile inoculation injuries averaged 1.7 (S.D. = 3.2) injuries per
       dentist in the previous year with 56% of practitioners having had an
       injury. The average was 6.8 (S.D. = 15.9) injuries per dentist in the
       previous 5 years with 76% of practitioners having had an injury. Of
       recent non-sterile inoculation injuries described by dental
       practitioners, 30% constituted a moderate or high risk of transmission
       of infection to the practitioner (43 of 141 described injuries).
       Combined with HIV seroprevalance rates, probabilities of transmission
       and numbers of practising dentists, the mean reported number of
       non-sterile inoculation injuries in the previous 5 years may be used to
       provide estimates of expected numbers of dental practitioners
       occupationally infected with HIV in the previous 5 years. U.K. estimates
       were 0.004 dentists in Lothian region and 0.05 dentists in the Thames
       region occupationally infected with HIV in the previous five years.
       Non-sterile inoculation injuries appear to be a common hazard of dental
       practice. In any year, most dentists are exposed to the risk of
       blood-borne viral infection. Despite a high reported incidence of such
       injuries, dental practice within the U.K. appears to carry a low risk of
       acquiring HIV infection from occupational exposure.
 DE    Comparative Study  Dentists/*STATISTICS & NUMER DATA  Disease
       Transmission, Patient-to-Professional/*PREVENTION &  CONTROL  Female
       Gloves, Protective/UTILIZATION  Hepatitis B Vaccines  Human  HIV
       Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*PREVENTION & CONTROL  Infection
       Control/METHODS/*STATISTICS & NUMER DATA  Male  Masks/UTILIZATION
       Occupational Diseases/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*PREVENTION & CONTROL  Questionnaires
       Retrospective Studies  Risk Factors  Scotland/EPIDEMIOLOGY
       Vaccination/STATISTICS & NUMER DATA  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).