Frequency of hepatitis b and c in oral and maxilofacial surgery patients at Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry

ABSTRACT

To see the frequency of hepatitis B virus [HBV] and hepatitis C virus [HCV] carriers in oral and maxillofacial surgical patients. Descriptive study. This study was carried out at Oral and Maxillofacial surgery department of Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry [AFID], Rawalpindi from June 2006 to July 2007. Patients who were admitted at Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department during the study period for any kind of maxillofacial surgery were screened before operation for HBV, and HCV. A total of 842 patients were screened. Eighty percent were males and 20% were females with age ranging from 5-70 years. HBV was positive in 7% patients and HCV was positive in 9% of patients. The high frequency of HBV and HCV in maxillofacial surgical patients suggests a routine screening for HBsAg and anti-HCV for all patients prior to surgery