Seroepidemiology of Hepatitis C antibodies among Israeli dentists

Objective: To determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies among Israeli dentists and assess the use of infection control measures in their dental practice. Methods: The study consisted of 301 Israeli dentists who attended the Annual Conference of the Israeli Dental Association. Participants filled out a structured questionnaire regarding demographic (age, gender, number of siblings, number of children) and occupational characteristics. Venous blood was examined for presence of HCV antibodies by enzyme immunoassay and confirmed by a third generation line immunoassay, which assesses antibodies to HCV- core antigens (INN-LIATM HCV Ab III update, 100% sensitivity, 100% specificity). Results: The prevalence of HCV antibodies among Israeli dentists was 1/301 (0.33%), similar to the prevalence range (0.1-0.5%) among the general Israeli population. Of the studied population, 30.6% were dentists who immigrated from Asia, East Europe and the former USSR, where HCV prevalence ranges from 3.1% to 26.5%. Regarding infection control measures, a significant negative correlation was found between years of occupation in dentistry and usage of a mask or gown during work (p<0.001 and p=0.047, respectively). Similarly, dentists who graduated before 1985 used a mask or gown significantly less often than dentists who graduated after 1985 (p<0.001 and p=0.004, respectively). Conclusions: Dentists in Israel are not at an increased risk of HCV.