Aids & Dentistry

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AIDS and STERILIZATION

Instruments in the Dental Office

Recent news programs have again raised questions about the safety of going to the dentist so we have continued our previous newsletter article to answer additional questions about this important issue.

In a previous issue this year we discussed this topic in some detail. We primarily focused on the importance of heat sterilization and why our office is safe.

In this issue we will focus on sterilization of the dental drill or handpiece. First, what is the drill? The dreaded "drill" is actually a high speed turbine driven by compressed air. It is a very expensive and sophisticated device that is used to cut on the tooth. It is attached to a fabric covered rubber hose that carries the compressed air to the handpiece (we prefer to call it this, rather the the "drill").

Why is there concern about the dental handpiece?

Recently investigative news programs have reported on sterilization of the dental handpiece.They discovered that most dentists don’t heat sterilize their handpieces. Rather they wipe off the outside of them with disinfectant.

The program then shows a handpiece that had been wiped off with disinfectant being taken apart and blood is discovered inside the handpiece!

The question is then asked; if blood is inside the handpiece, couldn’t it infect the next patient? The obvious answer is yes!

Dr. Wilson, what do you do for safety?

We heat sterilize our handpieces after every patient. To demonstrate this to every patient, my staff opens the sterile packets containing the sterilized instruments and.handpieces right in front of you. That way there is no question.

AIDS AND THE

DENTIST!

Did you see this article in People magazine or perhaps hear about it on the national media?

Dr. Wilson would like to answer some common questions concerning this incident:

Ques: How did the patient get AIDS at the dentist?

Ans: First, remember that it is not certain that the patient did get AIDS from her dentist but the circumstantial evidence is strong that she did. She appears to have gotten AIDS from the dentist himself not from another patient. it is unclear how it was actually transmitted but the patient had 2 teeth removed by the dentist while he (the dentist) had active AIDS. The assumption is that somehow the dentist got some of his blood on an instrument that was used in the patient’s surgery.

Ques: Do you mean dentists and physicians with AIDS can continue to perform surgery without telling their patients that they have the disease!

Ans: Yes!! The theory was that it was not possible for the doctor with AIDS to give it to treating his patients would interfere with his "rights". This case calls that into question. It would appear that the policy of allowing health professionals with AIDS to perform surgery should be re-evaluated.

Ques: Dr. Wilson, do you or any of your staff have AIDS?

Ans: No!! None of us have any of the "risk factors" that might cause us to get AIDS.

Ques: Is it safe to go to the dentist and not get AIDS?

Ans: YES!! This is the first reported possible case (out of millions of patients) of a patient getting AIDS at the dentist, and it is only because the dentist himself had AIDS!

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Last modified: March 06, 1999
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