More than two billion people have been infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Globally, 350-400 million suffer from chronic HBV infection. It is postulated that dentists and dental staff are infected and transmit the virus to their patients more than any other occupation. The aim of this article is to review the HBV incidence in dental society, the points of view of dentists and their patients regarding transmission of the virus during dental procedures, the occurrence of HBV outbreaks in dental clinics and the importance of methods of preventing HBV infection in dentistry.

The aim of this study was to assess undergraduate dental students' knowledge about prevention and detection of oral cancer in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). A validated questionnaire which tested oral cancer awareness and procedure was given to 3rd to 6th year students of the dental faculty of TUMS. A total of 165 students participated in this survey. As expected, students of the final years showed greater knowledge of risk factors and clinical features of the disease. This study highlights for consideration regarding improvement to undergraduate dental education.

With more than two billion infected people, from whom 350 to 400 million suffer from chronic infection, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still a major health problem worldwide. As dental treatment puts both dentists and patients at a higher risk of HBV infection, dentists can play an important role in preventing HBV transmission in dental settings. This study was performed to evaluate dental students' awareness and practice regarding HBV-related issues and to compare the results obtained from different academic years. One hundred and forty-two questionnaires consisting of questions on students' knowledge of HBV and preventive measures against this virus were completed by third-to sixth-year dental students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran. Overall, a relatively good level of knowledge was observed amongst this population. However, students' answers to practice questions were less satisfying. It is noteworthy that in some cases students of higher academic years showed less awareness. This finding highlights the necessity of continued infection control education. TUMS students must complete an infection control workshop before they start their clinical education. The authors propose that such training at the beginning of each academic year would be worthwhile.

There is some evidence that hepatitis viruses A, B and C are present in oral fluids, particularly whole saliva and gingival crevicular fluid and may thus be possible sources of viral detection in clinical diagnosis and monitoring. However, the data are inconsistent and warrant the need for well-planned longitudinal studies to explore the precise frequency of oral carriage of such viruses and to determine the virological and host factors that may influence the oral presence of hepatitis A, B and C viruses.

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