Hardie John
Can Commun Dis Rep. 2021 Nov 10;47(11):500-502. doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v47i11a10.
The possibility of hepatitis C being transmitted between dental patients was the genesis of an extensive and expensive look-back investigation conducted by an Ontario Public Health Unit. This investigation was performed with a minimal knowledge of nosocomial infections of dental origin, an enthusiastic reliance on untested checklist indicators and an absence of any of the criteria justifying such an investigation. As a consequence, the entire exercise was based on the false premise that an infection control lapse had occurred. This commentary will address these flaws, and other aspects of the Public Health Unit's response that detracted from its credibility. The provision of a realistic assessment of disease transmission in dentistry should result in Public Health Units conducting informed and mutually beneficial inspections of dental practices.
丙肝在牙科患者之间传播的可能性引发了安大略省一个公共卫生部门进行的广泛且昂贵的追溯调查。此次调查是在对牙科源性医院感染了解甚少的情况下进行的，过度依赖未经检验的清单指标，且缺乏开展此类调查的任何合理标准。因此，整个调查基于感染控制出现失误这一错误前提。本评论将探讨这些缺陷，以及公共卫生部门应对措施中其他有损其可信度的方面。对牙科疾病传播进行现实评估，应能促使公共卫生部门对牙科诊疗机构进行明智且互利的检查。
