Aa
Dentists?
The general opinion seems to be that dentists are a front runner (after IVDU) causing the spresd of hep c. Is there any scientific data to back this? Just curious
Denise
Denise
Clean the dental instruments manually or through mechanical means like a thermal washer disinfector or an ultrasonic bath. Infection Control Services says that dental instruments cannot be sterilized properly unless they are thoroughly cleaned beforehand. Manual cleaning should be done in a sink specifically reserved for this purpose and they should be cleaned with non-foaming detergent and a nylon brush. They should be immersed in lukewarm water, scrubbed below the water's surface and then rinsed. If they are being cleaned in a thermal washer disinfector or ultrasonic bath, the process should be done according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Step 2Afterward cleaning through either manual or mechanical means, the dental instruments should be dried with a disposable cloth.
Step 2Afterward cleaning through either manual or mechanical means, the dental instruments should be dried with a disposable cloth.
Warning
While dentists use sterilizations, that process is not always 100 percent effective. An article by Elsevier, Inc., brought to light some disturbing facts in 2003. Many instruments used by dentists in the United Kingdom were not all that clean after the sterilization process. Instruments that had been used and then sterilized were scrutinized under a light microscope and scanned with electrons. Of the instruments used in general dentist practices, 76 were contaminated, as were 14 percent of the instruments used by a dental hospital
While dentists use sterilizations, that process is not always 100 percent effective. An article by Elsevier, Inc., brought to light some disturbing facts in 2003. Many instruments used by dentists in the United Kingdom were not all that clean after the sterilization process. Instruments that had been used and then sterilized were scrutinized under a light microscope and scanned with electrons. Of the instruments used in general dentist practices, 76 were contaminated, as were 14 percent of the instruments used by a dental hospital
I would report that doctor. I don't think that what he did is even legal. I would ask the 'sundhedsstyrelsen' or the 'kommune' about it.
Next time you go to your dentist,DEMAND to see EXACTLY step by step how he cleans the tools and make sure you get the ones fresh out of the "....oven"....if they say no...RUN
When I was a kid, my mom was a receptionist for a pediatric practice. I still remember the smell of alcohol there because they kept all their instruments in covered trays of alcohol. My son had surgery in '85 and the doctor made a big deal about the fact that they didn't have to give him any blood. Now I know that the whole business was about contracting Hep C (nonA-nonB) from contaminated blood products. I'm pretty sure that Hep C and later AIDS was the cause for darn near everything a doctor touches you with being disposeable now. Dental tools, like that awful stainless pick they use, are not disposeable. Do they even have autoclaves in dental offices? Hmmmm.
Nygirl: LOL!! Dentist is hearby saved on my mobile under that name =P
Yeah, he should be doing that to everybody...
Portann: Just what I said to him also. If I'm lucky I cost him his sleep over that one ;)
Yeah, he should be doing that to everybody...
Portann: Just what I said to him also. If I'm lucky I cost him his sleep over that one ;)
Yeah, I know... Can't believe it is right of him either, cause there is a law in Norway that says all treatment related to contagious deceases is payed by the government. Had to go to the dentist very often because of trouble with my gums during treatment, so I thought social wellfare would pay for that.
Marte313
Marte313
Marte totally I'd find another dentist that is prejudice plain and simple. Creep! Creepy McCreepster Creep!
What 'extra' perparements making sure he is doing it right? That he should be doing for EVERYBODY.
What 'extra' perparements making sure he is doing it right? That he should be doing for EVERYBODY.
That's awful, what your dentist did to you. So many people don't know what the heck they have and for all we know, he himself could have HCV.
"That" is not right at all...!!
Makes you not even want to tell them..!
That's terrible...
~shawnwest~
Makes you not even want to tell them..!
That's terrible...
~shawnwest~
I told my dentist I had HCV. After I told him this he always scheduled me in the end of the day. He also gave me a higher bill because of the extra preparements he had to do. I asked him "Why do I have to pay an extra 600 NOK (99.81 USD) pr. visit for being honest, while you have lots of patients who doesn't even know they have HCV? Shouldn't you treat every patient as if they were infected?" He couldn't give me a proper answer to my question...
Scientific data to me at least =P Hehe...
Scientific data to me at least =P Hehe...
Boy~that would be nice~~if it "got better" by itself~huh...?..!
(Yea~you'd think all of the reserch that I've been doing too-over the int., I'd "know" more of those "med. terms"...!)
(Yea~you'd think all of the reserch that I've been doing too-over the int., I'd "know" more of those "med. terms"...!)
You should post this as a new thread by clicking on the green "post a question" button near the top of the page.
Sure. If you can provide the name of the trial, we can help you with the particulars; do you have further information on it? The drug or the manufacturer?
Bill
Bill
Thanks for all of that information~Bill...
I didn't even know you could check into all of that-having to do with the trial..
I didn't even know you could check into all of that-having to do with the trial..
About 20% of Hep C cases will spontaneously resolve; but his will occur within the first six months of infection. In this case, the patients own immune response is sufficient to ‘destroy’ the virus. This is considered the acute phase; after six months has past, the chances of the disease resolving by itself is miniscule; this is the chronic phase.
Bill
Bill
It just means get better by itself-I have a terrible habit of using medical terms to make myself sound like I have some medical knowledge when really I learned it all from surfing the net.
Oh..
Well thank you for the information...
I just figured that I must have already had it for quite a few years..
What does that mean though...?
That-acute Hep. C can "resolve spontaneously"..?
(As you can tell~~I'm "new" to this...)
Well thank you for the information...
I just figured that I must have already had it for quite a few years..
What does that mean though...?
That-acute Hep. C can "resolve spontaneously"..?
(As you can tell~~I'm "new" to this...)
I just returned from the dentist after not seeing him for over two years. My tooth chipped, so I HAD to see him on an emergency basis.
We had a talk about HCV this morning. He thought that yes, in the old days, little was done to sterilize equipment between patients and for those of us who are older, it would have been far more likely than today. Today there is at least an awareness, he said, even though all dental practices are not equal in terms of measures taken.
We've known our dentist and his dentist wife for over twenty years and see them socially as well. I really don't believe he'd sing me a song. He just finished battling a very rare form of nose cancer, which his cancer doctor speculated could be related to his long-term use of dental equipment. :(
I do know that if I'd had a blood transfusion or done illegal drug injections in the past, I'd automatically assume it was from those avenues. That would provide me a sense of security in a strange way, pinpointing it. I think that assumption doesn't necessarily hold water.
Those of us here who did do iv drugs seem to assume they got HCV via that route but what if they in fact got it even earlier, in their school days during a routine vaccination program? No way to know for sure.
I never did inject drugs or have a transfusion, so I know with certainty it came from another source. I can't say I got HCV from the dentist or not. It may have been from any number of sources, school-wide vaccination programs, gamma globulin shots, the dental surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth in a barebones practice where cleaning his equipment was the last thing on his mind.
I've never really cared where I got it; going forward, though, I'm very nervous about dental offices. Several of the technicians were scolding me this morning for not having cleaned my teeth for two years and even offered to do it then and there to catch me on the fly. I fought them off 'tooth and nail' and refused their generous offer. Ironically, my dentist understood and supported my decision!
Anyway, it's sure nice to have my chipped tooth fixed.
We had a talk about HCV this morning. He thought that yes, in the old days, little was done to sterilize equipment between patients and for those of us who are older, it would have been far more likely than today. Today there is at least an awareness, he said, even though all dental practices are not equal in terms of measures taken.
We've known our dentist and his dentist wife for over twenty years and see them socially as well. I really don't believe he'd sing me a song. He just finished battling a very rare form of nose cancer, which his cancer doctor speculated could be related to his long-term use of dental equipment. :(
I do know that if I'd had a blood transfusion or done illegal drug injections in the past, I'd automatically assume it was from those avenues. That would provide me a sense of security in a strange way, pinpointing it. I think that assumption doesn't necessarily hold water.
Those of us here who did do iv drugs seem to assume they got HCV via that route but what if they in fact got it even earlier, in their school days during a routine vaccination program? No way to know for sure.
I never did inject drugs or have a transfusion, so I know with certainty it came from another source. I can't say I got HCV from the dentist or not. It may have been from any number of sources, school-wide vaccination programs, gamma globulin shots, the dental surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth in a barebones practice where cleaning his equipment was the last thing on his mind.
I've never really cared where I got it; going forward, though, I'm very nervous about dental offices. Several of the technicians were scolding me this morning for not having cleaned my teeth for two years and even offered to do it then and there to catch me on the fly. I fought them off 'tooth and nail' and refused their generous offer. Ironically, my dentist understood and supported my decision!
Anyway, it's sure nice to have my chipped tooth fixed.
A couple of comments.
“Now I'm waiting to see if I will be accepted for the trial, but I didn't know I had to "know" that I had it for "6 months"-before I could even be considered..
Does anyone know why that is...?”
The reason they want to know if you’ve been infected more than six months is to rule out acute infection; the trials are for chronic HCV, and an acute case could skew results.
“I still havn't decided for sure yet-if I'm even going to go through with it though~if there's a possibilty that they might give me the placebo.......
What would be the point...?”
Check with the trial coordinator, and also your consent forms; but the majority of clinical trials for HCV will include an active arm as part of the trial. What I mean by that is the minimum you’ll receive is the current ‘Standard of Care’; this alone is worth the effort for many people. In his case, it would include interferon and ribavirin; but possibly not the third trial intervention. Do check, however; there are exceptions.
“I just have a hard time talking myself into going through with this treatment~if it can cause so many side effects-when I'm not feeling any symtoms..”
Many of us are faced with that dilemma; you have to way the benefits with the rewards; that might not work in your case… if so, wait until it does.
If you like, you can share more about the trial you’re considering, and people here might have comments for you. Be sure to open a new thread so others can see it and respond though. Take care—
Bill
“Now I'm waiting to see if I will be accepted for the trial, but I didn't know I had to "know" that I had it for "6 months"-before I could even be considered..
Does anyone know why that is...?”
The reason they want to know if you’ve been infected more than six months is to rule out acute infection; the trials are for chronic HCV, and an acute case could skew results.
“I still havn't decided for sure yet-if I'm even going to go through with it though~if there's a possibilty that they might give me the placebo.......
What would be the point...?”
Check with the trial coordinator, and also your consent forms; but the majority of clinical trials for HCV will include an active arm as part of the trial. What I mean by that is the minimum you’ll receive is the current ‘Standard of Care’; this alone is worth the effort for many people. In his case, it would include interferon and ribavirin; but possibly not the third trial intervention. Do check, however; there are exceptions.
“I just have a hard time talking myself into going through with this treatment~if it can cause so many side effects-when I'm not feeling any symtoms..”
Many of us are faced with that dilemma; you have to way the benefits with the rewards; that might not work in your case… if so, wait until it does.
If you like, you can share more about the trial you’re considering, and people here might have comments for you. Be sure to open a new thread so others can see it and respond though. Take care—
Bill
You have to have been infected for six months for your Hep C to count as chronic.
Acute Hep C can resolve spontaneously which would just waste a place on the trial because if the patient cleared the data would be contaminated.
Acute Hep C can resolve spontaneously which would just waste a place on the trial because if the patient cleared the data would be contaminated.
I just resently found out that I have Hep. C too...
And, I don't know how I got it..
But, I guess-it must have been from a blood tranfusion that I had before they started screening for it in 92...
Now I'm waiting to see if I will be accepted for the trial, but I didn't know I had to "know" that I had it for "6 months"-before I could even be considered..
Does anyone know why that is...?
Just curious..
I still havn't decided for sure yet-if I'm even going to go through with it though~if there's a possibilty that they might give me the placebo.......
What would be the point...?
I just have a hard time talking myself into going through with this treatment~if it can cause so many side effects-when I'm not feeling any symtoms..
I realise this might not sound very smart~but I have been taking "Resveratrol" for a few months now~and I'm just "hoping" that "it" will help enough...
Because~it "has" already helped me with many other things..
And~I would recommend it to everybody...!!
~shawnwest~
And, I don't know how I got it..
But, I guess-it must have been from a blood tranfusion that I had before they started screening for it in 92...
Now I'm waiting to see if I will be accepted for the trial, but I didn't know I had to "know" that I had it for "6 months"-before I could even be considered..
Does anyone know why that is...?
Just curious..
I still havn't decided for sure yet-if I'm even going to go through with it though~if there's a possibilty that they might give me the placebo.......
What would be the point...?
I just have a hard time talking myself into going through with this treatment~if it can cause so many side effects-when I'm not feeling any symtoms..
I realise this might not sound very smart~but I have been taking "Resveratrol" for a few months now~and I'm just "hoping" that "it" will help enough...
Because~it "has" already helped me with many other things..
And~I would recommend it to everybody...!!
~shawnwest~
I have a friend in Indonesia who used to be a blood donor. He gave blood twice a year on a regular basis. One day, after having donated blood, he got a letter saying he was hep C positive. The doctors could not figure out where he had gotten it from. The only places he could have gotten it from was either the dentist or the barber.
I personally think people blame dentistry because it’s convenient; many are grappling with an unknown vector, and dentistry is an easy mark.
How would it be possible to study this anyway? Wouldn’t one have to test before going to the dentist, then crawl into a bubble between visits to exclude any other possible vectors?
If we look at needle stick injuries in the health care industry, the U.S. CDC states that infection from accidental needle stick received from *known* HCV infected patients occurs in <5% of cases. This certainly doesn’t correlate with dental transmission, at least from an intuitive perspective.
As HCA says, we can look at the industry as a whole, but it’s going to be very difficult to investigate individual cases with any accuracy. I tend to agree that transmission from dental medicine is a myth.
Bill
How would it be possible to study this anyway? Wouldn’t one have to test before going to the dentist, then crawl into a bubble between visits to exclude any other possible vectors?
If we look at needle stick injuries in the health care industry, the U.S. CDC states that infection from accidental needle stick received from *known* HCV infected patients occurs in <5% of cases. This certainly doesn’t correlate with dental transmission, at least from an intuitive perspective.
As HCA says, we can look at the industry as a whole, but it’s going to be very difficult to investigate individual cases with any accuracy. I tend to agree that transmission from dental medicine is a myth.
Bill
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