Air sampling for hepatitis B surface antigen in a dental operatory.

Forty samples of air with a mean sample volume of 104 liters were collected during the treatment of patients whose blood was positive for HBsAG: no samples contained HBsAG and occult blood. These findings suggest that, if environmentally mediated transmission of hepatitis B occurs in the dental operatory, it is more likely to occur through contact with contaminated surfaces than through the airborne route.