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.
D000388:Air / Q000032:analysis*; D003770:Dental Offices; D005881:Gingiva / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens