Hello dr. Frascino. I am from Greece and recently I went to the dentist. It was the first time I went to him and after he fixed my tooth I saw that the organs he used where dirty. Could I get infected from dirty dentist's organs? If it has benn used previously to an Aids+ patient how much time does the virous live out of the body on an a needle or other dentist's organs? Please I would really appreciate if you could help me with that

Hello,

You are concerned about getting HIV from a dentist's "dirty organs?" I think something might have gotten "Lost in Translation" here. I'll assume you mean "tools" rather than "organs."

So, can you get infected from dental tools? This would be extremely unlikely. HIV does not survive very long at all outside the body. Also, dentists are trained in "universal precautions" to protect patients from bloodborne diseases, like HIV.

I'll be cruising through the Greek Islands next month, and spending some time in Athens. If I find any violations to the well standardized health precautions, I'll let you know.

As for getting HIV from a "dirty dentist's tool" (as opposed to "dirty dental tools"), that's a whole different story . . . .

Stay well.

Dr. Bob