April 12 (iVillage Total Health) -- The first known case of hepatitis B virus transmission from one patient to another in a dental office was documented in New Mexico, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The hepatitis B (HBV) virus can cause inflammation of the liver. HBV is transmitted by contact with bodily fluids (such as from an open or bleeding wound or from objects contaminated with dried blood) of an infected person. It has commonly been contracted through sexual intercourse with an infected person or through sharing intravenous (I.V.) needles with an infected person during illegal drug use. It has also been transmitted from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth.

About 1.25 million people are chronically infected with the virus in the United States, according to the CDC. About 15 to 25 percent of patients with chronic infection will die from the disease. Hepatitis B can cause the liver to swell, and in some cases, liver damage (including cirrhosis and liver cancer) may occur. It also raises the risk for infection with hepatitis C and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In most cases, the body rids itself of the virus after several months, and becomes immune to further infections.

A vaccine is available to protect people at high risk for hepatitis B. Most states in the United States require children to receive immunization through a vaccination administered in three doses over a six-month period.

The CDC report on the dental office infection -- reported in the May 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases -- indicates that researchers are not certain exactly how the virus was transmitted between the patients. A 36-year-old woman who had chronic HBV infection underwent tooth extractions. Several hours later, a 60-year-old woman had multiple teeth extracted by the same dental surgeons and assistants.

The older woman was not sexually active and had no history of intravenous drug use or other exposure to the virus, yet she contracted HBV. Lab analysis showed similar patterns in the viral DNA in both women. Investigators tested the office staff and reviewed their procedures for infection control and sanitation and found they followed standard guidelines. The CDC speculated that blood from the infected woman may have contaminated an area of the dental office that was not sufficiently cleaned afterward.

Blood tests and medical records of 16 of the 25 dental patients who underwent surgery showed they had been vaccinated and were immune to infection. In an editorial that accompanied the report, health experts noted that universal childhood HBV vaccination has helped reduce transmission of the virus. But since many new cases of HBV infection occurs in young adults it may be necessary to institute universal HBV vaccination for all adults under the age of 40. Such a policy might have prevented the dental office transmission, they concluded.

Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.