Abstract
Objective: Among health care workers, dental professionals use small, sharp instruments more frequently in clinical practice and thus are more prone to puncture accidents. This study was designed to identify the risk of HIV transmission from an accidental puncture with a contaminated dental instrument by estimating the maximum volume of blood that may enter the body through the percutaneous wound.
Materials and Methods: The study included 26 different dental instruments with the possibility of an accidental puncture injury. Mettler H 20, a precision balance with a detection limit of 0.1μg, was used to weigh each instrument, a piece of filter paper, the clean instrument placed on the filter paper, and the same instrument with its entire sharp end soiled with blood placed on the filter paper. The weight (g) of blood adherent to the instrument was determined and multiplied by 1.052, the specific gravity of the blood, to obtain its volume (cc). One third of this volume was estimated to be the maximum volume of blood that may get into the body from the puncture wound.
Results: The estimated volume of blood was less than 1μl for the 20 instruments. However, excavators, sickle scalers, and No.11, 12 and 15 scalpels were found to deliver more than 1μl of blood in this experiment.
Conclusions: The results suggested that dental professionals have a very low risk of HIV transmission from a puncture injury with a small, sharp instrument contaminated with blood.
