FREQUENCY OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS AND HEPATITIS C VIRUS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING VARIOUS DENTAL PROCEDURES

Objective: To determine the frequency of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus in patients undergoing various dental procedures at Tokyo Yaesu Dental Clinic and Tokyo Dental College Japan. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive study, we determined the frequency of HBV and HCV by screening the patients for HBs antigen and HCV antibody in blood serum before going for any dental procedures. Data were recorded from December 1999 to 2009(9 years & 8 months) in the Tokyo Yaesu Dental Clinic whereas in Tokyo Dental College Japan from October 2006 up to May 2008 (1 year and 8 months). Results: In this study, we assessed 2,181 patients for HBs, out of which 13 (0.60%) cases were found positive for HBs at Tokyo Yaesu Dental Clinic, and out of 3216 patients 33 (1.02%) patients were found positive for HBs antigen at Tokyo Dental College. On another hand 31 (1.42%) patients out of 2181 were found positive of HCV antibody at Tokyo Yaesu Dental Clinic and 45 numbers of cases (1.43%) were found positive for HCV antibody at Tokyo Dental College. Most of the patients were found to be in the 6th and 7th decade of life. Conclusion: Screening for HBV and HCV should be mandatory for every patient going through any invasive and non- invasive dental procedures. Furthermore, sterilizations and standard precautionary protocols must also be observed at Dental clinics and hospitals.