Expert: Kristen Brannock, MPH - 11/12/2007

Question
QUESTION: I was cut by a dirty dental scaler last wk.  My concern is not the patient who had used it in their mouth but, something else.  The instrument had briefly soaked in an ultraconic (bath) that (not knowing this at the time) had been sitting there for at least a week.  Dirty.  2 days before I cut myself we had had an AIDS patient in and his instruments also briefly soaked in this solution (2 days prior).  Ok....so the instrument that cut me had no blood on it and was not the AIDS patients....but, it had soaked in the same solution.  I am preganant and very concerned.  I've been told that my chances are exceedingly low but I'm concerned.  Thank you.

ANSWER: You cannot get HIV that way.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What are the reasons that I can't get it this way?  Are you saying that the solution could not have allowed the hiv to survive?  Thank you.

Answer
I have no idea what solution it was soaked in so there's no way I can know if it kills HIV or not.

The reason you cannot get HIV this way is that HIV is not transmitted via outside fluids. It is transmitted by blood, semen, vaginal fluid and/or breast milk. Plus, environmental transmissions are extremely rare.