Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for HBV, HCV and HIV

Exposure to blood-borne pathogens such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a potentially serious risk to dental care workers. In health care settings, blood-borne pathogen transmission occurs predominantly by percutaneous or mucosal exposure of workers to the blood or body fluids (including saliva) of infected patients. Prospective studies of health care workers have estimated that the average risk of HIV, HCV and HBV transmission after a percutaneous exposure to blood of an infectious patient, without postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV or without prior Hepatitis B vaccination and evidence of protective antibodies, is approximately 0.3% (HIV), 1.8% (HCV) and 6-30% (HBV).