AIDS/Hepatitis, and tuberculosis: implications for the dentist and dental profession

ABSTRACT

Dentists worlwide treat and manage patients with a variety of oral and systemic complaints. Bacterial fungal and viral infections are commonly seen in dentist practice. Although primarily sexually transmissible, serious diseases such as hepatitis B, herpes, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are the major infections for which the dentist must reduce or eliminate the risk of transmission. The best approach to minimize cross-infection to, or from, a patient or other health care worker (HCW) is to use "Universal Precautions" that is, to treat every patient as if they were a carriers of some infection. However, unlike infection control strategies of developed countries, in developing countries these precautions may need to be modified to match the socioeconomic constraints of the region. Governments and HCWs should work together to make vaccinations against hepatitis B a national priority, and improve the education of patients and colleages concerning the risks from all STDs including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and tuberculosis. (AU)