Bacterial hazards in a dental office: An update review

Biological factors are constantly present during dental procedures. They are causes of cross-infections in a dental office, constituting occupational hazards for dental personnel exposed to them for long periods of time. The authors review the current knowledge on bacterial factors present in the environment of a dental office and look at the infectious factors spread via blood-borne route, direct contact with a patient and contaminated equipment, and aerosols emitted from both the patient’s mouth and the dental unit itself. The authors describe important sources and routes of infection specific for a dental office ‐ biofilm as a source of dental unit water contamination, microbial contamination of water in dental units and microbial contamination of air in dental offices.