What is the dentist's occupational risk of becoming infected with hepatitis B or the human immunodeficiency virus?

• DOI: 10.2105/ajph.82.4.587
• Publication Date: 2008-11-29T13:17:08Z
• Authors: E I Capilouto; M C Weinstein; D Hemenway; D Cotton
• Keywords: Likelihood Functions; Attitude of Health Personnel; Dentists; Reproducibility of Results; HIV Infections; Refusal to Treat; Hepatitis B; Sensitivity and Specificity; 3. Good health; Occupational Diseases; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Risk Factors; HIV-1; Prevalence; Humans

Surveys have shown that dentists are reluctant to treat persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, dentists are much more willing to treat patients with infectious hepatitis B virus (HBV). This study shows that the annual cumulative risk of infection from routine treatment of patients whose seropositivity is undisclosed is 57 times greater from HBV than from HIV, and that the risk of dying from HBV infection is 1.7 times greater than the risk of HIV infection, for which mortality is almost certain.