Risk of Cross-infection of Drug-resistant Bacteria in Dental Practice

Infection prevention and control in dental practice has been mainly focused on blood infections caused by Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Demand of dental practice for visiting hospital and nursing home has been rapidly increasing and that trend is expected to continue in the future. Therefore, management of infection control in dental practice is required to sufficiently understand not only HBV, HCV, and HIV but also various drug-resistant bacteria. Multidrug-resistant bacteria are considered to be serious threat worldwide. Here, we will review particularly major drug-resistant bacteria; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), multiple drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRP), extendedspectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).