Both teeth cleaning and fillings clean and beautify our teeth, correcting imperfections—making them popular choices for those seeking dental aesthetics. However, individuals pursuing cosmetic dentistry should exercise caution, as both procedures carry a high risk of viral infection, posing a threat to your health.
Oral procedures typically cause damage to the patient's oral mucosa and skin. Between 80% and 90% of patients experience issues like gum bleeding during teeth cleaning or filling.This means that if the preceding patient had a contagious disease like hepatitis B, and the handpieces or instruments weren't thoroughly disinfected, or if the dentist's hands became contaminated, the hepatitis B virus could potentially be transmitted to the next patient through the handpieces, instruments, or the dentist's hands.
High-speed turbines used for fillings generate a "back-suction" force after operation, drawing the patient's blood and saliva into the handpiece cavity. If sterilization is inadequate, residual saliva and bloodstains in the cavity can be sprayed directly into the next patient's mouth when the turbine probe is inserted.
This significantly increases the risk of hepatitis B transmission.The hepatitis B virus is highly resilient, surviving for six months in serum at 30°C and requiring 10 minutes at temperatures above 130°C to be eradicated. Furthermore, receiving the hepatitis B vaccine does not guarantee immunity. A significant proportion of individuals fail to develop antibodies against the virus, leaving them at a 10% to 20% risk of infection even after vaccination.
Oral Care Specialists Face Higher Infection Risks
Of course, oral infections aren't limited to dental patients. Medical personnel engaged in long-term dental care and close-contact procedures face greater infection risks due to frequent exposure to patients' blood and saliva. The primary transmission route for dental staff is direct contact, followed by droplet transmission.
During dental procedures, healthcare workers may sustain needle stick injuries from sharp instruments. If the patient's blood or saliva contains pathogens, infection can occur through these wounds. Additionally, with the dentist and patient positioned less than 50 centimeters apart during treatment, pathogen-laden droplets expelled from either mouth can directly enter the other's respiratory tract, further increasing the risk of cross-infection.
Important Considerations for Dental Patients
Many patients seek treatment at random street-side dental clinics for convenience or cost savings, unaware of the significant health risks involved.Nearly all dental clinics face issues like cross-contamination of blood and saliva between patients. Failure to implement sterilization protocols—such as "one machine per patient," "one glove per patient," and "one tray of high-temperature sterilized instruments per patient"—along with inadequate provision of clean dental materials and neglecting to disinfect shared surfaces after treating each patient, drastically elevates the risk of cross-infection.