[Question #7250] Dentist office

59 months ago

Last thursday I had a cleaning at my dentist's office. When he was almost finishing, he said that I should use an interdental brush on two specific teeth. He asked his assistant for a sample brush to show me how to use it. As she was searching for it, he started to show me how to use it using the same tool he uses to scrap plaque from teeth. He pointed the tool towards his glove, touching his thumb very slightly with the sharp point of the tool, to simulate how I should handle the interdental brush. After that, his assistant found the sample brush, and he used it on my teeth to show me how to handle it properly.

I didn't see any blood on his glove, nor heard anything from him that could be seen as a signal of pain, so I don't think he perfurated his glove with his tool when he was simulating the process - as I said, the contact between the tip of the tool and his (gloved) thumb was soft.

But let's assume that the following scenario happened: his thumb got pricked enough to drop a minuscule quantity of blood, and when he used the real brush on me, his blood got into my mouth - which was bleeding in some parts, a normal thing when we have a cleaning.

Would an infection be possible in this scenario? How risky would it be? Would the mix of saliva + air be enough to inactivate the virus? I strongly believe it would, but I'd like to have a second opinion from the great people on this site.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

59 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your confidence in our services and your kind comment at the end of your message.

I don't accept your scenario. By your description, it seems extremely unlikely that he pricked himself. And if he did, it seems equallly unlikely that the business end of the brush came incontact with the blood. But even if your scenario were correct, there was no measurable risk. What are the odds he has HIV or other active blood borne infection? But even if THAT were the case, that amount of blood would be risk free. Oral exposure of any kind (blood, genital fluids) rarely results in HIV transmission. For example, oral sex on an HIV infected male, with swallowing of semen, carres an average transmission risk of once for every 10,000 exposures.

I don't know whether air, saliva, etc would inactivate HIV as rapidly as you suggest. But that doesn't matter. Whatever the biological reason, you can be sure you were not at risk.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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59 months ago

Hello Mr. Handsfield,

Yes, your comments were very helpful. As you said, I have no reasons to believe that he's HIV+ to begin with. He's been my dentist for 17 years and I know how careful and responsible he is.

Sometimes when the situation involves blood (or just the possibility of blood) I can become a little bit anxious, that's all.

Thanks for your help. And greetings from Brazil!

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

59 months ago

I'm happy to have helped; thanks for your thanks!

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Best wishes and stay safe.

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59 months ago

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