Hepatitis C infection among dental personnel in the West of Scotland, UK

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered a serious occupational hazard for healthcare workers, particularly those performing exposure-prone procedures. In the UK, the majority of dental procedures are classified as exposure prone. In order to gauge the prevalence and determinants of infection among dental healthcare workers, a voluntary anonymous survey of HCV infection among primary care dental workers employed in the West of Scotland was undertaken, in which occupational and personal risk data were collected in parallel with a blood specimen. The overall prevalence of HCV antibodies was 0.1% (1/880, 95% CI 0–0.6); this is no greater than the estimated prevalence of HCV infection in the local population. Personal risk data collected suggested that the single infection identified was acquired through a non-occupational route. These results suggest that HCV infection is not a major occupational risk for dental healthcare workers.