In an article in
Medscape (1/30), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Oral Health states that while “transmission of infectious agents” in dental settings is “rare,” a CDC article in The Journal of the American Dental Association identifies “three published reports describing the transmission of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus in dental settings since 2003.” In addition, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report details an outbreak of Mycobacterium abscesses infection that occurred in 2015 at a pediatric dentistry practice. With this in mind, the article provides tips for preventing disease transmission in dental settings, noting the CDC offers a resource designed to help prevent infections called the Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Health Care Settings: Basic Expectations for Safe Care. The CDC also offers the Infection Prevention Checklist for Dental Settings, which is available as a new mobile app.
The Oral Health Topics on ADA.org and MouthHealthy.org provide information on infection control for dental professionals and for patients.
The ADA reports that since 1993, the ADA and the CDC have updated and supplemented their infection control recommendations to reflect new scientific knowledge and growing understanding of the principles of infection control.