Dentist Study Backs Theories That AIDS Is Not Casually Transmitted

Dental care professionals who frequently treat people with AIDS have no signs of the immune system crippler, a new finding that reinforces theories that AIDS cannot be casually transmitted, scientists said.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, studied 255 dentists, hygienists and chair-side assistants who collectively had 189 incidents of exposure to saliva and small amounts of blood from patients infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

‘Extremely Unlikely’

Reporting in the current issue of the Western Journal of Medicine, Dr. Neil Flynn and his team said none of the dental workers tested had antibodies to the deadly virus.

“This study provides further evidence that casual contact with saliva of HIV-infected persons . . . is extremely unlikely to result in transmission of the virus to uninfected persons,” the report says.

Because of their occupational exposure to blood- and saliva-borne infections, dental care professionals have a high prevalence of antibodies to the hepatitis B virus. But the study, which focused on dental care workers in Sacramento, suggests that the hepatitis B virus is more easily transmitted than the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

2.2 Million Exposures

Extrapolating results from their investigation, the Davis team estimates that dental care professionals nationwide will collectively experience 2.2 million exposures to the AIDS virus this year.

The study recommends, however, that dental care workers increase their use of disposable gloves and adhere to the Centers for Disease Control’s guidelines for infection control.