Samples of the masks, which a dentist, two dental hygienists, a dental assistant, and a receptionist used each day, had been collected for four months and were inspected for blood stains splashed during dental treatments. Luminol solutions were used to detect blood. The number of all the samples was 345. The number of the samples that turned out to be positive was counted and was shown. The possibilities of infection were evaluated from the results.
Dentists run the greatest risk of getting infected with blood-related viruses.
Hygienists were at less risk, and assistants and receptionists were at no risk. Dentists receive blood on their masks from more than half of the patients every day. This blood contamination seems related to the distances between the treatment area and the dentists' eyes. The average distances between them were 20 to 30 cm, and assistants' were more than 50 cm. The closer the dentists get to the patients, the higher the posibilities become.