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Hepatitis B and C among Berlin dental personnel: incidence, risk factors, and effectiveness of barrier prevention measures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2001

A. AMMON ,
P. A. REICHART ,
G. PAULI  and
L. R. PETERSEN
A. AMMON
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
P. A. REICHART
Affiliation:
Center for Dental Medicine of the University Clinic Charité, Berlin, Germany
G. PAULI
Affiliation:
Department of Virology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
L. R. PETERSEN
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
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Abstract

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A study of 215 Berlin dentists and 108 dental assistants recruited at the 1997 Berlin Dental Society meeting assessed their occupational risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, HBV vaccine coverage, and barrier prevention methods used. Among dentists, 7% (95% CI 4–11) and 0·5% (95% CI 0–3) had serological evidence of previous HBV and HCV infection, respectively. Similar figures for dental assistants were 1% (95% CI 0–5) and 0% (95% CI 0–4). Only 74% of dentists and 63% of dental assistants reported HBV vaccination. Approximately half always used gloves, eye glasses, or face masks. HBV unvaccinated dentists whose patients had HBV risk factors had a greater risk of HBV infection; those who always wore face masks were at lower risk (OR 0·2, 95% CI 0·02–0·98). These data indicate that among Berlin dentists, the HCV risk was lower than that of HBV and that face masks may have lowered the risk of HBV. The use of eye glasses or gloves did not appear to lower the risk of HBV acquisition in this population.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 125 , Issue 2 , October 2000 , pp. 407 - 413
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press