Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) Official Statement on HIV Transmission from Dentist to Patient in response to a recent report by Sin Chew Jit Poh on 8 Nov 2010 regarding a suspected HIV Transmission as a result of Dental Extraction

Dental practitioners in Malaysia know the risks present in their work, especially on the possibility of transmission of blood borne infections from patient to practitioner, practitioner to patient or patient to patient.

As health care providers, dental practitioners have continuously reviewed their infection control practices as a result of professional and public concern for blood borne infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Prospective studies worldwide indicate the average risk of HIV infection after a single percutaneous exposure to HIV-infected blood is 0.3% (range: 0.2%--0.5%). After an exposure of mucous membranes in the eye, nose, or mouth, the risk is approximately 0.1% (76). The precise risk of transmission after skin exposure remains unknown but is believed to be even smaller than that for mucous membrane exposure.

It is a requirement by the Ministry of Health Malaysia for dental practitioners to adhere to Guidelines on Infection Control in Dental Practice (2007) as outlined by the Oral Health Division and Malaysian Dental Council on the standard precautions in infection control and the required practices. Standard precautions are procedure-specific and not patient-specific. Observance to these standard precautions, including prevention of blood contact between dentist and patient, and proper cleaning and sterilization of instruments will adequately prevent the transmission of blood borne infections.

There was no evidence in the report to confirm the authenticity of the case and there was also no evidence to suggest that the HIV infection was linked to dental extraction. The MDA is working closely with the Ministry of Health of Malaysia to follow up on this matter.

The Malaysian Dental Association firmly believes, and would like to reassure the public, that dentists in Malaysia have undertaken appropriate training in infection control practices and that there is an extremely minimum risk of transmission of infection from the dentist to any patient being treated, and to our knowledge there are no documented cases in Malaysia of transmission of HIV from a dentist to a patient.