title: Dental care and spread of hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: Sera from 576 healthy adults were tested for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti-HBs) to evaluate the role of routine dental care as a factor in the spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Serological evidence of prior HBV infection, manifested by acquisition of anti-HBs, was detected in 97 (16.8%) individuals, and 6 (1.0%) were identified to be asymptomatic HBsAg carriers. The anticipated correlations of HBsAg and anti-HBs with age, country of birth, and socioeconomic status were observed in the study population. However, prevalences of both HBsAg and anti-HBs were inversely related to the lifetime total of dental care visits. These findings indicated that, in a region in which the HBsAg carrier state and hepatitis B are prevalent, routine dental care is not identified as an important factor in the spread of HBV infection. While the results do not exclude the obvious possibility that cross-infections with HBV may occur during dental care in specific situations, they indicate that this mode of infection is exceptional.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D003729:Dental Care; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens