Department of Preventive Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
J Oral Microbiol. 2012;4. doi: 10.3402/jom.v4i0.17659. Epub 2012 Jun 12.
Infection prevention in dentistry is an important topic that has gained more interest in recent years and guidelines for the prevention of cross-transmission are common practice in many countries. However, little is known about the real risks of cross-transmission, specifically in the dental healthcare setting. This paper evaluated the literature to determine the risk of cross-transmission and infection of viruses and bacteria that are of particular relevance in the dental practice environment. Facts from the literature on HSV, VZV, HIV, Hepatitis B, C and D viruses, Mycobacterium spp., Pseudomonas spp., Legionella spp. and multi-resistant bacteria are presented. There is evidence that Hepatitis B virus is a real threat for cross-infection in dentistry. Data for the transmission of, and infection with, other viruses or bacteria in dental practice are scarce. However, a number of cases are probably not acknowledged by patients, healthcare workers and authorities. Furthermore, cross-transmission in dentistry is under-reported in the literature. For the above reasons, the real risks of cross-transmission are likely to be higher. There is therefore a need for prospective longitudinal research in this area, to determine the real risks of cross-infection in dentistry. This will assist the adoption of effective hygiene procedures in dental practice.
口腔医学感染预防是近年来备受关注的一个重要课题，许多国家都制定了预防交叉传播的指南。然而，对于交叉传播的实际风险，特别是在口腔医疗保健环境中，人们知之甚少。本文评估了文献，以确定在口腔实践环境中具有特殊相关性的病毒和细菌的交叉传播和感染风险。本文介绍了有关单纯疱疹病毒、水痘带状疱疹病毒、艾滋病毒、乙型肝炎、丙型肝炎和丁型肝炎病毒、分枝杆菌属、假单胞菌属、军团菌属和多重耐药菌的文献事实。有证据表明，乙型肝炎病毒是口腔医学中交叉感染的真正威胁。关于其他病毒或细菌在口腔实践中的传播和感染的数据很少。然而，许多病例可能没有被患者、医护人员和当局所承认。此外，口腔医学中的交叉传播在文献中报道不足。由于上述原因，交叉传播的实际风险可能更高。因此，需要在该领域进行前瞻性纵向研究，以确定口腔医学中交叉感染的真实风险。这将有助于在口腔实践中采用有效的卫生程序。
