Infectious Disease and its Influence in Dentistry

Dentistry is a high-risk occupation due to the frequency of exposure to blood and body fluids. Similarly patients are also at risk of acquiring infection from the dental field if proper infection control measures are not followed strictly. According to the routes of disease transmission, we can classify the diseases into three: bloodborne, airborne and also through fomites. Public health consequences of morbidity and mortality is due to emergence of newer diseases within these classification. Disease control measures must be implemented in clinics by the health care provider and dentists. Dentists should understand the impact of diseases and provide certain steps to control the spread of disease within the dental field. Bloodborne diseases, such as hepatitis A, E, B, C, D and G, HIV; respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), AH1N1 influenza and immunizable childhood diseases are the commonest diseases in society. Aside from infection control measures, immunisation against diseases and postexposure disease control measures should be implemented by the public health care professionals.