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HIV Prevention (Expert Forum)
Risk
Answered by
Edward W Hook, MD - HIV Prevention, stds
This forum is limited to prevention of HIV and to safe sex in general. If you believe you might have been exposed to HIV and want help to judge your risk, would like advice about HIV testing, or have questions about the effectiveness of condoms or the risks associated with specific sexual practices, this is the site for you.
IMPORTANT
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
Risk
by worriedwart, May 09, 2008 10:52AM
I went to the dentist for a teeth cleaning and the hygenist worked on me. I was bleeding from it. My dentist came over to check my teeth since i had an infection and wanted to make sure it was ok but he was working on another patient before he came over and do not know if he changed gloves or not.
He touched my teeth with an instrument and did not remember if he did or not with his fingers. there was a few blood spots on his glove but they could have come from my instruments.
He did take off the gloves when he was done with me.
My concern is if he did not take the gloves off when he was working on the other patient and came to check on me is there a risk if soem of that patients blood dripped in to my mouth since i was bleeding.
Should I be tested?
He touched my teeth with an instrument and did not remember if he did or not with his fingers. there was a few blood spots on his glove but they could have come from my instruments.
He did take off the gloves when he was done with me.
My concern is if he did not take the gloves off when he was working on the other patient and came to check on me is there a risk if soem of that patients blood dripped in to my mouth since i was bleeding.
Should I be tested?
Doctor's Answer
by Edward W Hook, MD, May 09, 2008 03:22PM
, May 09, 2008 03:22PM
You do not need testing. You are worrying without need. If you think about how the dentist examined you, the removal of his gloves was virtually reflexic (automatic) as it is for all of us. There is simply no way a reasonable, trained dental professional would not do this (i.e. change glvoes between patients), thus your risk is minimal.
That said, allowing this silly chain of reasoning to go a bit further, even if he had contaminated gloves, and even if the previous partner was HIV infected (again, hugely unlikely), the transfer of material via contaminated gloves would be similar to deep kissing and HIV is not transmitted by kissing (even among persons with dental disease, or recent dental work).
For you to get tested is a waste of time. This is nothing to worry about. EWH
That said, allowing this silly chain of reasoning to go a bit further, even if he had contaminated gloves, and even if the previous partner was HIV infected (again, hugely unlikely), the transfer of material via contaminated gloves would be similar to deep kissing and HIV is not transmitted by kissing (even among persons with dental disease, or recent dental work).
For you to get tested is a waste of time. This is nothing to worry about. EWH
Member Comments (2)
by worriedwart, May 09, 2008 04:37PM
To: Dr. Hook
thanks
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