Sero-epidemiological study on hepatitis A and B virus infection among dentists in the Philippines.

Dentists in the Philippines were surveyed for evidence of past hepatitis A and B virus infections. Of the 234 dentists examined, 201 (85.9 per cent) were found to have been infected by HA virus and 137 (58.5 per cent) had been infected by HB virus. The proportion with evidence of past HB virus infection increased as the years in dental practice increased. This increment with age was not found in the general population of the Philippines. It is considered that the incremental pattern could be attributed to the summation of risk during many years of providing dental treatment. Comparing the proportion of dentists with HBV antibodies (anti-HBs/c) in the Philippines, Japan, USA and Denmark, the Philippine dentists were found to be more frequently infected than dentists in the other countries. However, the increment in the proportion positive for HBV as the years in practice advanced was consistent with that found in Japan. The prevalence of post HA virus infection in Philippine dentists was higher than the proportion for dentists in Japan but in both countries it is probable that dentists are infected at the same rate as the general population.