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than glove-wearing nonreactors, which explained the greater number of HBV
cases. 9
Most reports on the effectiveness of gloves against viruses involve assumptions
only. Hadler’s report, 34 which is unique because it was distributed by
the CDC, is a typical example in which HBV was supposedly transmitted to
patients by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon carrier. Prior to this discovery,
the surgeon did not routinely wear gloves. No other HBV transmissions were
noted after he began wearing gloves. The conclusion was that the gloves
prevented further transmissions. Omitted from consideration was the later
discovered shorter incubation period for HBV infection, the probability that
the surgeon’s carrier status changed and that newly infected patients did not
immediately test positive after the test surgeon began wearing gloves. This
and three other similar studies were extrapolated by the CDC to apply to HIV
infections and became the prime “scientific” rationale for the recommendation
that gloves be worn as an element of Universal Precautions. 1 At that time, the
AIDS epidemic was peaking and any rationale, scientific or not, would suffice
for CDC action.
Figure 7: Persistent dermatitis on the hand of
a dental assistant after the routine wearing of
latex gloves.
Eventually, the errors in this study forced the CDC to recant and recommend that vaccination be the only effective preventative
measure for HBV. Retracting Universal Precautions would be embarrassing and spark the AIDS panic again
and thus was not implemented. This constituted an official deception that had serious future consequences.
Gloves: An Expensive Contamination Hazard
Most dentists use nonsterile latex gloves instead of sterile gloves because of their lower cost. 6 A 100-pair box of nonsterile
exam gloves costs between $5 and $11 at most supply firms. Sterile gloves usually cost 10 times as much ($50-
$95). The average dentist and staff uses $4,000 worth of nonsterile gloves per year (36 patients a day). 11 Extrapolating
to the 150,000 dentists in America, the nation’s annual cost for dental gloves comes to at least $600 million. This is a
tremendous expense for minimal to no benefit, because the wearing of gloves in dentistry has shown no significant
improvement in reducing HBV (now addressed by vaccination) or AIDS (no documented cases of occupational transmission
in dentistry before or after 1985). To invest this level of resources for a useless exercise defrauds the dentist,
who pays the supply bill, and the patient, who pays the dentist.
Because the CDC and OSHA are primarily interested in protecting the dental staff member rather than the patient, the
contamination potential (for patients) of nonsterile exam is placed secondary to the costs of glove supply. Both organizations,
however, sensibly recommend sterile gloves for some surgical procedures. It is ironic that the nation’s health
organizations insist on stringent infection control measures and advertise the fact as a safety promotion to the public,
yet what they are advocating is that dental staff use contaminated (infected) exam gloves, rather than freshly washed
and disinfected hands as was done before 1985.
Of course, using sterile gloves for all procedures would increase the cost of providing dentistry to such an extent (more
than $5 billion annually) that no one would be able to afford dentistry. It is estimated that using sterile gloves as we
do examination gloves would cost each dentist $40,000 more in supplies each year. 11 In spite of this, infections from
bare-handed and gloved (sterile/nonsterile) dentists have been historically very rare and insignificant. Evidence-based
science shows it doesn’t matter whether you wear gloves, and it never did. Yet dentists continue to believe that placing
contaminated gloves on a compromised patient’s oral mucosa is safe and beneficial.
This is with the consideration that most latex glove products are manufactured and hand-packed in Third World countries,
where facilities are hygiene-primitive and the bathroom hygiene of many latex workers consists of using the
left hand as toilet paper. Soap and clean water is a rarity (Fig. 6). Because exam gloves are considered already contaminated
(nonsterile), they are seldom checked for pathogens. It is assumed that contaminated gloves are not clean.
The hope is that they will be “kitchen clean,” which the CDC, dental organizations and dental boards assume is good
enough for the population.
Microbe contamination is not the only problem. Gloves often are coated with talc or cornstarch, which act as lubricants
and absorbents. There are problems with this, most notably that talc and starch are physical irritants. 36,37 They can cause
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