title: Prion diseases in humans: oral and dental implications.
abstract: Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by accumulation of abnormal prion proteins in the central nervous system. The prions resist conventional sterilization procedures especially when infected tissue becomes dried onto metal or glass surfaces. This article, a review of literature collected using Pubmed as search engine, describes the oral manifestations of prion diseases in addition to studying the possibility of cross contamination in the dental office. The article emphasizes the importance for dentists to be aware of these diseases, to identify the high-risk patients by obtaining adequate medical history and to know the appropriate deactivation procedures to be followed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Annoor Dental College, Muvatupuzha, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jayanthi
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Pr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bindhu
authors.forename: Rekha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krishnapillai
keywords: Contamination; Deactivation; Oral; Prions
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