Study Reveals High Prevalence of MRSA on Dental Students
Study Reveals High Prevalence of MRSA on Dental Students According to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, a study has found methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) present on one out of five dental students at the
Study Reveals High Prevalence of MRSA on Dental Students
According to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, a study has found methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) present on one out of five dental students at the University of Washington (UW) School of Dentistry in Seattle. The study, as reported in the October issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, sampled 61 dental students and 95 surfaces in seven clinics at UW School of Dentistry. Attempting to determine whether MRSA could be isolated from dental students and frequently touched dental operator surfaces, researchers collected nasal swab samples from the students, and checked for the presence of MRSA on clinic stools, chairs, cabinets, and floors. Results revealed that 21% of dental students and 8.4% of clinic surfaces harbored MRSA.Despite these findings, researcher Jeremy A. Horst, DDS, said the study should not be cause for alarm. Rather, he reassured current and prospective UW dental students that the study represents a snapshot of MRSA colonization at one particular time—and that these figures could change drastically if randomly collected in the future.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also downplayed the seriousness of the study’s results. “We don’t believe this necessarily represents a systematic problem in dental clinics across the country,” notes Arjun Srinivasan, MD, assistant director of the CDC’s Healthcare-Associated Infection Control Program.
“Further studies are needed from more dental clinic surfaces, dental patients, dental personnel, and students from diverse geographic locations,” the study authors concluded in their report. Until such studies provide a definitive answer, oral health care professionals are reminded to follow the CDC’s universal precautions to protect themselves and their patients from potential infections.
