Prions: Who Should Worry about Them?

Prions in dentistry: A need to be concerned and known

Prion diseases were first discovered by Stanley B. Prusiner who defined prions as infectious, transmissible proteinaceous particles that lack nucleic acid and are composed exclusively of a modified isoform of the noninfectious cellular prion protein (PrPC). These are incurable neurodegenerative conditions affecting both animals and humans. They may be sporadic, infectious or inherited in origin. Human prion diseases include Creutzfeldt–Jakob desease (CJD), Gerstmann– Straussler–Scheinker disease, Kuru and Fatal familial insomnia. Prions resist the conventional sterilization procedures and hence the dentists must be aware of such diseases so as to opt standard methods of infection control and decontamination for such infectious agents. This review article divulge the dentists with a brief overview of the characteristics of prions, the risk of transmission and the implications for infection control in dentist.

Prion diseases: risks, characteristics, and infection control considerations in dentistry

Prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases that are rapidly progressive and fatal, with no definite cure. There are no reported cases of prion disease transmission arising from dental procedures. Nevertheless, there is a theoretical but real risk of transmission of prion disease from dental instruments. A review was made of studies up to 2008 to provide an update of the characteristics, risk of transmission, and the infection-control implications of prions in the field of dentistry. As the prions are resistant to conventional sterilization methods, highly-specific, cross-infection control measures are required when managing patients infected with these.